Verdict on gangrape accused juvenile may be put off

New Delhi, July 31: The verdict on the

accused in the Dec 16 gang rape case is likely to be put on hold as the

fixed Aug 14 as the day of its

, on a petition on the legally defined age for a juvenile.

Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy has petitioned the apex court, challenging the law fixing 18 as the age of juvenile, and the court on Wednesday asked him to inform the Juvenile Justice Board that it will hear the petition on Aug 14.

Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra told the apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, that he would accordingly instruct the public prosecutor to inform the Juvenile Justice Board that it should not pronounce its verdict, which is scheduled for Aug 5.

The court also said that it will examine the maintainability of Swamy's petition as ASG Luthra contended that there could not be any third party intervention in a criminal matter involving a state and an individual.

IANS