Magistrate alleges threats from school murder accused's father

Gurugram, April 22 (IANS) The Principal Magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board here has alleged that two lawyers and the father of a juvenile accused of murdering an 8-year-old student in 2017 had threatened him and tried to put pressure on him with regard to the case.Prince was murdered inside a prominent public school in Haryana's Bhondsi village on September 8, 2017, allegedly by a class 11 student of the same school.In a complaint submitted to the District and Session Judge, the magistrate has said that on April 11, he had ordered shifting of the accused from the Faridabad children's observation home to Karnal."Following the order, the father of the accused and a couple of lawyers came at JJ Board court in Gurugram on April 12 and requested a meeting. As there is no facility to entertain them inside the court, I went outside to meet them. I realised that they applied pressure on me to change the decision," the magistrate said."I was astonished when I heard their unlawful demand. I asked them to approach the state government or challenge the decision in a higher court for a special children observation home near their house," he added.The magistrate said he asked them to leave the JJ Board as "the tone of accused's father was threatening", adding that their actions amounted to intervention in the judicial system and requested the District and Session Judge to take strict action against them.
--IANS str/vd