CBI gets three days to quiz accused

Counsel claims agency has enough evidence to prove the teenager’s involvement

The Juvenile Justice Board here on Wednesday gave the CBI three days to question the 16-year-old boy apprehended in connection with the murder of a seven-year-old student of Ryan International School, Bhondsi branch. The accused will be tried as a juvenile.

The CBI produced the teenager before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Devinder Singh and sought six days for questioning and collecting evidence. But the JJ Board allowed the CBI three days to question the teenager, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. JJ Board member Gianwati Devi will be present during the questioning. The boy will be kept at a juvenile home in Faridabad and will be produced before the Board on Saturday.

A member of Gurugram Bar Association present during the proceedings said the boy was “visibly shaken”. Mr. Singh also reportedly spoke to the teenager one-to-one in a closed room for almost an hour.

CBI counsel A.K. Singh maintained that the agency had enough evidence, including CCTV footage, to prove the teen’s involvement in the murder.

The accused’s counsel, Sandeep Taneja, opposed the CBI’s plea for six days of questioning and added that his client was being framed.

‘Boy innocent’

The accused’s father, who was also present in the JJ Board room, claimed that his son was being framed.

A cousin of the accused claimed that the boy was good in studies and scored around 80% in his Class X exam. Claiming that the boy was innocent, the cousin said that he did not show any sign of nervousness after the incident and added that he had no bloodstains on his uniform when he returned home on the day of the murder. “He was the first person to notice the victim lying in the toilet and informed the gardener and teachers. He also took the exam on the day of the incident,” said the cousin.