Juvenile offenders: Trial courts to decide cases within 2 months

SHC issued directives to different trial courts to try and decide cases of JOs lodged at the Remand Home.

KARACHI: Justice Amir Hani Muslim of the Sindh High Court issued directives to different trial courts on Thursday to try and decide cases of juvenile offenders (JOs) lodged at the Remand Home, Karachi within a month and or two.

Earlier, Justice Muslim visited the Remand Home, Karachi on January 17. During the visit, he ordered the placing of cases of 18 juvenile offenders who requested him that they have been arrested for minor offences.

On Thursday, the Sindh prosecutor-general, Remand Home authorities and others were present when the applications were placed before the court. The applications were filed by the accused who were allegedly involved in crimes such as snatching mobile phones at gunpoint, murders and narcotics trade.

The bench passed different orders in view of the nature of the crime and the accusation, after which it directed the trial courts to decide the cases of the applicants or the juvenile offenders within a month or two.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st,  2011.