Varanasi: The court of Special Judge Exclusive (Pocso Act)/Additional District and Sessions Judge Nitin Pandey on Thursday sentenced a juvenile offender, tried as an adult, to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment in connection with the murder and robbery of a truck driver.The case was registered at Cholapur police station. After hearing the arguments and examining the evidence presented by special public prosecutor Santosh Kumar Singh, the court held the juvenile guilty under sections 302 and 394 of the Indian Penal Code.According to the prosecution, complainant Manoj Kumar Yadav, owner of a 14-wheeler truck bearing registration number UP65 GT2912, lodged a written complaint on Jun 26, 2022. He stated that his truck driver, Sewa Lal Yadav, had been brutally murdered near Kapisa Mor on an under-construction highway.The investigation found that during the night, the truck’s helper, a juvenile, killed the driver following a dispute by attacking him with a wheel spanner and a knife. After the murder, he fled with the victim’s mobile phone and ₹43,200 in freight money.At the time of the incident, the juvenile was 17 years, 11 months and 21 days old. In view of the seriousness of the offence, the Juvenile Justice Board, Varanasi, conducted a preliminary assessment and concluded that he had the mental and intellectual capacity to understand the consequences of his actions. The Board then ordered, under section 18(3) of the Juvenile Justice Act, that he be tried as an adult before the sessions court/children’s court.The prosecution examined six key witnesses, including the complainant, the investigating officer and the doctor. Witness testimonies, the recovery of blood-stained weapons — a knife and a wheel spanner — from the bushes at the instance of the accused, and the forensic science laboratory report established the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.The court sentenced the juvenile offender to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹40,000 under section 302 IPC. He was also sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹10,000 under section 394 IPC.The court directed that the primary responsibility for payment of the fine would rest with the juvenile offender’s natural guardians, his parents.
