IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
VIPIN SINHA, J.J. MUNIR, JJ.
PRIYANKA DEVI - Appellant
Versus
STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH - Respondent
Habeas Corpus Writ Petition No. 55317 of 2017
Decided on : 21-11-2017
HABEAS CORPUS - DETERMINATION OF MINORITY - JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT, 2015, SECTION 94 - The court discussed the determination of the petitioner's age based on conflicting date of birth certificates and the applicability of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. The court held that the High School certificate prevails over the primary school certificate for determining the petitioner's minority. The court also emphasized that the principles applicable to the determination of age in the case of a juvenile would apply to cases of determination of the age of a victim as well.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner, a minor, sought release from detention at Nari Niketan, claiming illegal confinement.
Finding of the Court:
The court found the petitioner to be a minor based on the High School certificate, and ordered her to stay at Nari Niketan until she attains majority.
Issues: Determination of the petitioner's minority, applicability of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the appropriate place for the petitioner's custody.
Ratio Decidendi: The High School certificate prevails over the primary school certificate for determining minority. The principles applicable to the determination of age in the case of a juvenile apply to cases of determination of the age of a victim as well.
Final Decision: The habeas corpus writ petition is disposed of with directions for the petitioner to stay at Nari Niketan until she attains majority, with provisions for her welfare and care during her stay.
VIPIN SINHA, J.
1. This is a habeas corpus petition preferred on behalf of Smt. Priyanka Devi through her husband Kuldeep with the allegation that Priyanka and Kuldeep are lawfully married, but in consequence of an FIR lodged as Case Crime No. 0146 of 2016, under Sections 363, 366 IPC, the detenue-petitioner Priyanka Devi and her husband were compelled to challenge the said FIR before this Court by means of Criminal Misc. Writ Petition No. 4497/2017. The prayer in that petition was to quash the aforesaid FIR lodged by the petitioner's father, Sukhlal.
2. The said writ petition came to be disposed of by this Court by a judgment and order dated 19.03.2017 with directions that in case Priyanka appears or is produced before the learned C.J.M. and makes an application for her medical examination (for the purposes of determination of age) and to record her statement under Section 164 Cr.P.C, 1973 the Magistrate concerned shall fix a date for the purpose. On the date fixed, the first informant, and, the officer-in-charge of police station concerned shall be summoned by the Magistrate who will ensure that the petitioner is produced before the Chief Medical officer by the police for medical examination. It was further ordered that thereafter the C.J.M. would record the statement of the petitioner-detenue Priyanka under Section 164 Cr.P.C., 1973 It was also ordered that during the period no coercive measure would be taken against the petitioner. This Court further ordered that in case the petitioner-detenue is found to be major and does not support the FIR version (in her statement under Section 164 Cr.P.C., 1973), the petitioners of the Criminal Misc. Writ Petition under reference shall not be arrested till submission of a police report under Section 173(2) Cr.P.C., 1973 It was also provided that in case the petitioner-detenue Priyanka is found to be a minor, or a major but supports the prosecution version it shall be open to the police to arrest the petitioners of the writ petition under reference. The order made by this Court on 23.03.2017 in the criminal misc. writ petition above referred ordered that the issue of custody of the petitioner-detenue shall also be decided by the Chief Judicial Magistrate concerned in accordance with law. It appears that it is the last part of the direction of this Court in Criminal Misc. Writ Petition No. 4497/2017, that is to say, the one requiring the Chief Judicial Magistrate to decide the issue of custody of the petitioner-detenue Priyanka that has led to the cause of action giving rise to the present habeas corpus petition.
3. Before the Magistrate, the statement of the petitioner-detenue Priyanka was recorded on 24.07.2017 in compliance with the directions of this Court, wherein she exculpated the accused Kuldeep in Case Crime No. 207/2017 (supra) regarding whom she said that she has not married him but that she knows him for a long time and that she wants to go with him. She further stated that she does not want to go with her parents. She levelled very serious allegations against her parents to the extent of saying that her father ravished her and her mother when informed by the petitioner-detenue about this abhor-able act of her father, did not respond the expected way, and, instead threatened the detenue that in case she revealed the incident to anyone she would be done to death. The relevant part of the statement of the petitioner Priyanka recorded under Section 164 Cr.P.C., 1973 before the C.J.M. Budaun is being quoted (in Hindi Vernacular):
*esjs ikik us esjs lkFk 6 ekpZ ls igys xyr dke fd;k Fkk eSaus viuh eka dks crk;k rks mUgksaus dgk fd fdlh ls dgk rks tku ls ekj nsaxsA*
4. In addition she has also blamed her parents of ill treating her and beating her.
5. The day the statement of Priyanka was recorded before the Magistrate under Section 164 Cr.P.C., 1973 her father Sukhlal made an application bringing on record photostat copies of her matriculation certificate, the mark-sheet issu
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