Ryan Murder: Why is Juvenile Board Trying a 16-Yr-Old as an Adult?

The Class 11 student of Gurugram’s Ryan International School was apprehended on 9 November.

Seven-year-old Pradyumn Thakur was found dead in a washroom of the Ryan International School, Gurugram, on 8 September.

(Photo: Erum Gour/The Quint)

The 16-year-old student accused in the murder case of Pradyumn Thakur, a class 2 student of Gurugram’s Ryan International School, will be tried as an adult, the Juvenile Justice Board said on 20 December.

The JJB, in its order, clarified that it was required to examine the physical and mental capacity of the juvenile, and not whether he was guilty, or based on whether he confessed.

Over all, the conclusion of the report was that the juvenile was a below average student but was a good pianist. Based on inputs from the piano teacher, and other school teachers, the Board concluded that he was an aggressive boy, who shouted at other students, consumed alcohol, and reportedly used mobile phones in school.

According to the order, the juvenile also told his piano teacher that he was upset about his parents quarrelling.

The opinion of a clinical psychologist was also sought by the Board. In his report to the Board, the psychologist concluded that the juvenile showed “average intelligence”, with an IQ score of 95. The order also states that the clinical psychologist’s report showed that the juvenile did not need further mental assessment.

Following these observation, the Board in its order wrote:

<p> The juvenile had sufficient physical and mental capacity to commit the offence alleged against him, and also had the adequate ability to understand the consequences of the acts committed by him.</p>

The Class 11 student was apprehended by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 9 November. “The convict will be considered as an adult,” said Sushil Tekriwal, the lawyer of Pradyumn’s father.

Panel Analyses Accused Student’s Behaviour

The committee looked into the behavioural, sociological and psychological aspects of the accused juvenile. It then submitted a report to the court, saying that the accused should be treated as an adult. It suggested that he was an abnormal child with a hyper-aggressive streak to his personality, according to lawyer Tekriwal.

In an earlier proceeding, the Juvenile Justice Board had noted that the accused was “mature enough to recognise the consequences of his actions”.

The Case So Far

The father of Class 2 student Pradyumn, who was killed on 8 September, moved the Juvenile Justice Board in Gurugram in November, requesting that the 16-year-old accused be tried as an adult.

The juvenile’s family had claimed that their ward was being framed.

The CBI said that the 16-year-old murdered Pradyumn so as to postpone his exams as well as an impending parent-teacher meeting, as he was academically weak.

A bus conductor named Ashok Kumar, who was earlier accused of Pradyumn’s murder, was released from Gurugram's Bhondsi jail on 22 November. A day before his release, the CBI said they failed to provide any evidence against Kumar.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)