Holding

Section 6 of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 applies based on the offender's age on the date of imposition of punishment, and the appellant was not entitled to its benefit.

Summary

Sudesh Kumar was convicted under IPC s.392 r/w s.34 and the Arms Act for a robbery committed on 7 March 1981 and sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment. He appealed, claiming benefit under Section 6 of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, asserting that he was under 21 years of age at the time of the offence based on his own statement and a school transfer certificate. The State contended that the benefit could not be claimed because the plea was never raised before the trial or High Court, there was no credible evidence of his age, and the relevant date for Section 6 is the date of imposition of punishment, not the date of the offence. The Supreme Court held that Section 6 applies to persons under 21 on the date of sentencing by the trial court; since the appellant was over 21 on 26 July 1985, he was ineligible. The Court also ruled that a new plea could not be entertained without prior filing and credible proof. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed.

Issues considered

The appropriate date for determining age under Section 6 of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 – date of commission of offence or date of imposition of punishment.
Whether a benefit under Section 6 can be claimed for the first time before the Supreme Court when not raised in lower courts.
Whether the appellant's statement and school certificate constitute credible evidence of being under 21 at the time of the offence.
Whether decisions interpreting the Juvenile Justice Acts are binding for interpreting the Probation of Offenders Act.

Legislation cited

Arms Acts. 25
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. 313, s. 342
Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 25, s. 34, s. 392
Juvenile Justice Act, 1986
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000
Probation of Offenders Act, 1958s. 6

Subjects

Probation of Offenders ActSection 6age of offenderdate of applicabilityjuvenile justicenew pleacredible evidencecriminal appealrobberyIPC

Judgment

[2008] 2 S.C.R. 146 +--
....,
A SUDESH KUMAR
II.
STATE OF UTTARAKHAND
(Criminal Appeal No. 204 of 2008)
JANUARY 29, 2008
B
[P.P. NAOLEKAR AND C.K. THAKKER, JJ.]

Probation of Offenders Act, 1958: +
s. 6 - Date of applicability- Whether is date of imposition
c of punishment or is the date of commission of offence - Held:
Per Thakkar, J: Question left open - Per Naolekar J: Held: It is
date of imposition of punishment by trial court and not the date
of commission of offence.
s. 6 - Claim of benefit under- On the ground that on the
D date of commission of offence the accused was below 21 years
of age - Held: By the court-- Accused not entitled to the benefit
- Per Thakker, J. - In the facts of the case accused failed to
prove that he was less than 21 years of age on the date of
commission of offence, and such plea not permissible to be
E raised for the first time before Supreme Court - Per Naolekar,
J. - Accused was not less than 21 years on the date of
imposition of punishment - Raising of such plea for the first
time before Supreme Court not permissible - Penal Code, s.
392 r/w s. 34 - Practice and Procedure.
F Precedent - reliance on decision passed on a provision
¥'
of different _statute - Held: Decision made on a provision of
different statute will be of no relevance unless underlying
objects of the two statutes are in pari materia.
Appellant-accused, alongwith three accused was
G
charged u/s 392 r/w s. 34 IPC for having robbed three
persons. Trial court convicted them for the offence
charged. Conviction was confirmed by High Court.
In appeal to this court, appellant contended that he
H 146
-~
SUDESH KUMAR v. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND 147

!' was entitled to benefit u/s. 6 of the Probation of Offenders A
Act, 1958, as on the date the offence was committed, he
was below 21 years of age. This aspect is evident from
the age recorded in his 313 Cr.P.C. statement and from
the transfer certificate issued by Principal of the school.
It was further contended that date of applicability of s. 6 B
should be the date of commission of offence in view of
the judgment of this court while considering the pari
+ materia provisions under Juvenile Justice Act, 1986.
State contended that the appellant was not entitled
to the benefit as there was no reliable material, the c
question was not raised before the courts below; and that
the relevant date of applicability of s. 6 of the Act is the
date on which sentence is passed and not the date when
offence was committed.
D
Dismissing the appeal, the court
HELD: Per P.P. Naolekar, J. 1.1 Section 6 of Probation
--{
~
of Offenders Act, 1958 would apply to the accused who is
under 21 years of age on the date o.f imposition of
punishment by the trial court and not on the date of E
commission of the offence. That being the case, even if
the age of the accused is held to be below 20 years on
the date of commission of the offence, on the date of
delivery of judgment of conviction and sentence passed
by trial court he was more than 21 years of age and thus F
~
was not entitled to the benefit under Section 6 of the Act.
[Para 16 & 17] [158-C-E]
"""' Ramji Missar and Anr. v. State of Bihar 1963 Supp. 2
1111111"'

SCR 745 - relied on.
G
Dau/at Ram v. The State of Haryaya 1972 (2) SCC 626,
I
Satyabhan Kishore and Anr. v. The State of Bihar 1972 (3)
""' sec 350 - distinguished.
Masarullah v. State of Tamil Nadu, 1982 (3) SCC 458 -
held per in curium. H
148 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 2 S.C.R. ~-

A ·1.2 That apart, the question of applicability of the Act "'.
has been raised for the first time while filing the special
leave petition. The accused has not claimed ben·efit under
Section 6 of the Act during the trial or before the High
Court. Only material which was placed before the
B Sessions Judge or t~e High Court is the statement
recorded of the accused appellant under Section 313
Cr.P.C. wherein the age of the accused was given as 20
years. [Para 18] [158 F-G] 't

Yaduraj Singh and Ors. v. State of UP 1976 (4) SCC
c 310 - relied on.
2. The object and purpose of the Probation of
Offenders Act, 1958 for applying the relevant provisions
to the accused are different and cannot be said in pari
materia with the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 and the Juvenile
D
Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. The
Court would not construe a Section of a statute with
reference to that of another statute unless the latter is in
pari materia with the former. Therefore, a decision made ,... I

on a provision of a different statute will be of no relevance
E unless underlying objects of the two statutes are in pari
materia. The decision interpreting various provisions of
one statute will not have the binding force while
interpreting the provisions of another statute. [Para 16]
[157-G-H; 158-A-B]
F
Pratap Singh v. State of Jharkhand and Anr. 2005 (3) SCC
~
551 - distinguished.
I

Per C.K. Thakker, J (Concurring with the conclusion, ....,
but a different ground): It is, no doubt, true that the
G provision is beneficial and benevolent in nature and no
'technical' objection should be raised that such plea was
not taken before the Courts below. But there must be
credible and trustworthy evidence in support of such plea.
In the present case, a certificate in the form of 'Scholar
H Record & Transfer Certificate' is annexed, wherein the date
----+.-
SUDESH KUMAR v. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND 149
.
..,.
[C.K. THAKKER, J.]

of birth of the appellant was shown as June 28, 1962. the A
certificate was not on record either before the trial court
or before the High Court. From the 'True Copy', it is clear
that it is purported to have been issued by the Principal
only on February 10, 2007. Thus, it cannot be said that
there is 'credible evidence' or 'trustworthy material' that B
the appellant was less than 21 years of age at the time of
'r commission of offence. Such question cannot be
permitted to be raised for the first time in this Court.
[Para 4] [150-D-G]
Yaduraj Singh and Ors. v. State of U.P 1976 (4) SCC c
310; Sushi/ Kumar Mehrotra v. State of Uttar Pradesh 1984
(3) sec 123 - relied on.
Gopinath Ghosh v. State of West Bengal 1984 Supp.
sec 228 - referred to. D
CRIMINALAPPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal
.,,
_, '1 No. 204 of 2008 .
From the final Judgment and Order dated 9.7.2007 of the
High Court of Uttarakhand at Nainital in Criminal Appeal No.
311 of 2001. E

KTS Tulsi, Abhishek Garg, Evneet Uppan, Ravinder Singh,
Kuba Bodah, Dr. Bheem Pratap Singh, Pawan Kumar and
Dinesh Kumar Garg for the Appellant.
..-.,.
Jatinder Kumar Bhatia, B.N. Jha and Sahdev Singh for F
the Respondent.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
C.K. THAKKER, J. 1. I have had the benefit of going
-t· through the judgment prepared by my learned Brother. I am in 0
...
agreement with him that the appeal deserves to be dismissed.
I, however, decide the appeal on the second ground that on the
facts and in the circumstances of the case, the appellant has
failed to make out a ground that he was less than 21 years of
age at the time of commission of 9ffence. H
+-
150 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 2 S.C.R.
":.-
A 2. As observed by my learned Brother, the accused had
not claimed benefit of Section 6 of the Probation of Offenders
Act, 1958 either before the trial Court or before the High Court.
My learned Brother has also referred to Yaduraj Singh & Ors.
v. State of UP, (1976) 4 SCC 310 whereih this Court did not
B allow a new plea as to age of the accused to be raised for the
first time in this Court.
...,
..
3. In Sushi/ Kumar Mehrotra v. State of Uttar Pradesh,
(1984) 3 sec 123, a similar plea was raised for the first time
by the appellant-accused in this Court against his conviction for
c an offence punishable under Section 302 read with Section 34
and Section 394 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was held
that the contention of the accused that he was 15% years of
age at the time of occurrence was 'a complete after thought'
and refused to grant the benefit on that basis.
D 4. It is, no doubt, true that the provision is beneficial and
benevolent in nature and no 'technical' objection should be \
_.,- r-
~·
raised that such plea was not taken before the Courts below.
[Gopinath Ghosh v. State of West Bengal, (1984) Supp. SCC
228). But in my opinion, there must be credible and trustworthy
E evidence in support of such plea. In the present case, a certificate
in the form of 'Scholar Record & Transfer Certificate' is annexed
wherein the date of birth of the appellant was shown as June
28, 1962. The certificate was not on record either before the
trial Court or before the High Court. From the 'True Copy', it is
.....
F clear that it is purported to have been issued by the Principal -.(

only on February 10, 2007. Thus, it cannot be said that there is
'credible evidence' or 'trustworthy material' that the appellant
was less than 21 years of age at the time of commission of r-
offence. In my considered opinion, such question cannot be
G permitted to be raised for the first time in this Court and I am in -t ,,
agreement with my learned Brother on that point.
5. Since the appeal can be decided on this ground, I refrain
from expressing any opinion on the question dealt with and
decided by my learned Brother on interpretation of Section 6 of
H the Act.
+
SUDESH KUMAR v. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND 151
[P.P. NAOLEKAR, J.]
•,: -
6. The appeal is accordingly dismissed. A
P.P. NAOLEKAR, J.
1. Leave granted.
-1
2. The appellant was convicted by the judgment and order
B
dated 26.7.1985 passed by the Additional District & Sessions
't Judge, Dehradun, along with another accused person, under
Section 392 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
and sentenced to undergo five years' rigorous imprisonment
and further to pay a fine of Rs.5,000/- and in default of payment
affine to undergo further rigorous imprisonment for six months. c
The appellant was further convicted under Section 25 of the Arms
Act and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for one
year. In appeal preferred by the appellant, the High Court has
confirmed the order of conviction and sentence by its order dated
9.7.2007. D
3. The case of the prosecution in brief is that one Jagdish
"' Prasad was wholesale beedi merchant and carried on his
business in the name and style of M/s. Madrasee Basant Beedi
in Vikasnagar, District Dehradun. Jagdish Prasad used to go
to collect his dues from the retailers on every 15th day. On E
7 .3.1981, he went to Purola, Badkot for realization of his dues.
Along with other persons, he was travelling in the car which was
being driven by the driver Gyanendra Singh. While returning to
--! Vikasnagar from Purola, they had stopped at the curve of Katta
\ Pather and alighted from the car. Four miscreants came on F
scooter and parked the said scooter in front of the motor car.
Two miscreants were armed with revolvers and the remaining
. two had khukhries with them. All of them surrounded Jagdish
1
Prasad and ordered him to hand over money bag to them. They
also threatened him to shoot and kill him if he made any protest. G
-t
.Jagdish Prasad quietly handed over the money bag containing
about Rs. 25,000/-. He also gave his wrist watch and a golden
ring. Another occupant of the car was compelled to give cash of
Rs.230/- and the driver gave cash of Rs.600/- to them. One
person sitting in the car was forced to give his three wrist H
152 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 2 S.C.R.
+
'\,

A watches. The miscreants snatched away the keys of the car
from its driver. One of the miscreants ran away on the scooter
along with the money bag, while the remaining three boarded
the car and fled away. On appreciation of the evidence brought
on record, the Additional District & Sessions Judge found the
B accused persons guilty and imposed the punishment which was
confirmed by the High Court as mentioned hereinabove. The . .,
'f
accused appellant- Sudesh Kumar has preferred this appeal
against the order of conviction and sentence.
4. Shri K.T.S. Tulsi, learned senior counsel appearing for
c the appellant has submitted only one point that the accused at
the time of the commission of the crime was below 21 years of
age which is apparent from the statement recorded under
Section 313 Cr.P.C. of the accused wherein age of the accused
was given by the accused as 20 years and from the transfer r
D certificate, filed along with special leave petition, issued by the
Principal, Sanatan Dharma Junior High School, Dehradun, r
which shows that the appellant was born on 28.6.1962. It is, ....
~
therefore, submitted that it is clearly established that the accused
appellant on the date of the offence, i.e. 7 .3.1981, was below
E 21 years of age and as such was entitled to consideration and
benefit under Section 6 of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958
(here.inafter referred to as "the Act" for convenience).
5. On the other hand, it is urged by Shri Jatinder Kumar
Bhatia, learned counsel for the State that the accused having
/..
F not raised the question of his age either before the trial court or -<(

before the High Court, and in the absence of any reliable
material, could not ask for consideration of his case and benefit r
under Section 6 of the Act. It is further submitted that it is the
date on which the sentence is passed which shall be the relevant
t
G date for applicability of Section 6 of the Act. .,..
6. The question involved in this case is of interpretation of
Section 6 of the Act. It would, therefore, be appropriate to
reproduce Section 6 which reads as under:

H "6. Restriction on imprisonment of offenders under
I
_ _..._
SUDESH KUMAR v. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND 153
[P.P. NAOLEKAR, J.]
"''
twenty-one years of age. - (1) When any person under A
twenty-one years of age is found guilty of having committed
an offence punishable with imprisonment (but not with
imprisonment for life), the court by which the person is
found guilty shall not sentence him to imprisonment unless
it is satisfied, that having regard to the circumstances of B
the case including the nature of the offence and the
)" . character of the offender, it would not be desirable to deal
with him under section 3 or section 4, and if the court
passes any sentence of imprisonment on the offender, it
sha11 record its reasons for doing so.
c
(2) For the purpose of satisfying itself whether it would .
not be desirable to deal under section 3 or section 4 with
an offender referred to in sub-section (1 ), the court shall
call for a report from the Probation Officer and consider
the report, if any; and any other information available to it D
relatrng to the character and physical and mental condition
.,. of the offender."
...
7. While interpreting Section 6 of the Act, a 3-Judge Bench
of this Court in the case of Dau/at Ram v. The State of
Haryaya, (1972) 2 SCC 626, has said that the object of Section E
"' 6 of the Act, broadly speaking, is to see that young offenders
are not sent to jail for the commission of less serious offences
mentioned therein because of grave risk to their attitude to life
to which they are likely to be exposed as a result of their close
>-
.. associ~tion with the hardened and habitual criminals who may F
happen to be the inmates of the jail. The Court laid down that
Section 6 places restrictions on the court's power to sentence
a person under 21 years of age for the commission of crimes
mentioned therein unless the court is satisfied that it is not
desirable to deal with the offender under Sections 3 and 4 of G
~ the Act. The court is also required to record reasons for passing
sentence of imprisonment on such offender.
8. In another case in the matter of Satyabhan Kishore
and Another v. The State of Bihar, (1972) 3 SCC 350. this
Court (a 3-Judge Bench) reiterated the principle laid down by H
~
154 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 2 S.C.R.
.
A the Court in Dau/at Ram case (supra) and Shelat, J. speaking
for the Court held that Se~tion 6 lays down an injunction as
distinguished from discretion under Sections 3 and 4 riot to
impose a sentence of imprisonment on an offender, unless
reasons are recorded. I

B I
9. From the aforesaid judgments, it is apparent that while r--
-y·
imposing a sentence on an accused who is below 21 years of '1

age and who is found guilty of having committed an offence I-

punishable with imprisonment which is not the imprisonment
for life, the court shall not sentence him to imprisonment unless
c it is satisfied that having regard to the circumstances of the case
including the nature of the offence and the character of the
offender it is not desirable to deal with him under Section 3 or
Section 4 of the Act. It further mandates that if the court wants to
r
impose a sentence of imprisonment on the offender who is below
D 21 years of age it shall record its reasons for doing so. Thus,
the court imposing a sentence of imprisonment on an accused ,..;,-

who is below 21 years of age would record reasons as to why it -~

does not find it desirable to deal with him under Section 3 or
Section 4 of the Act. ,_
E 10. It can be noticed that the question of the offender being ?--
of 21 years or below on the date of the commission of offence
or on the date of imposition of sentence of imprisonment was
not dealt with in the above-mentioned cases.
~

F 11. The learned 'counsel for the appellant has relied upon ... '
a 2-Judge Bench judgment of this Court in the case of
Masarul/ah v. State of Tamil Nadu, (1982) 3 SCC 458, wherein
this Court held as under:
"6. In case of an offender under the age of 21 years
G on the date of commission of the offence, the court is ·;.--

.,
• b expected ordinarily to give benefit of the provisions of the "-
Act and there is an embargo on the power of the court to
award sentence unless the court considers otherwise,
L
·having regard to the circumstances of the case !ncluding
H nature of the offence and the character of the offender',
•

SUDESH KUMAR v. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND 155
[P.P. NAOLEKAR, J.]
and reasons for awarding sentence have to be recorded. A
Considerations relevant to the adjudication of this aspect
are, circumstances of the case, nature of the offence and
character of the offender. It is, therefore, necessary to keep
in view the aforementioned three aspects while deciding
whether the appellant should be granted the benefit of the B
"~ provisions of the Act."
12. It appears that in Masarullah case (supra), the Court
did not notice a 4-Judge Bench judgment delivered by Ayyangar,
J. in Ramji Missar and Another v. State of Bihar, AIR 1963
SC 1088 ( = (1963) Supp. 2 SCR 745), wherein this Court has c
noticed argument before the High Court that the Sessions Judge
erred in not applying the provisions of Section 6 of the Act to the
accused. The High Court repelled the contention holding that
although the accused might have been under 21 years of age
on the date of the offence, he was not a person under 21 years D
of age on the date when the Sessions Judge found him guilty
and sentenced him to a term of imprisonment, and held that the
"' crucial date on which the age had to be determined being not
the date of offence but the date on which as a result of a finding
of guilty sentence had to be passed against the accused. In the E
factual matrix of that case, this Court held as under:
"6. Taking first the case of Ramji, the elder brother, we
entirely agree with the High Court in their construction of
.... S.6. The question of the age of the person is relevant not
for the purpose of determining his guilt but only for the F
)>

purpose of the punishment which he should suffer for the
offence of which he has been found, on the evidence,
guilty. The object of the Act is to prevent the turning of
youthful offenders into criminals by their association with
-t hardened criminals of mature 'age within the walls of a G
prison. The method adopted is to attempt their possible
reformation instead of inflicting on them the normal
punishment for their crime. If this were borne in mind it
would be clear that the age referred to by the opening
words of S.6(1) should be that when the court is dealing H
156 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008) 2 S.C.R.
+
;,
A with the offender, that being the point of time when the
J.
court has to choose between the two alternatives which
the Act in supersession of the normal penal law vests in it;
viz., sentence the offender to imprisonment or to apply to
him the provisions of S.6(1) of the Act. .... "
B The Court further said:
-r
"19. We shall now proceed to consider one question which -f

was mooted before us in regard to the crucial date for
. reckoning the age where an appellate court modifies the
c judgment of the trial Judge, when S.6 becomes applicable
to a person only on the decision of. an appellate or a
revisional court. Is the age of the offender to be reckoned
as at the date of the judgment of the trial Judge or is it the
date when the accused is, for the first time, in a position
to claim the benefit of S.6. We consider that on the terms
D
of the section, on grounds of logic as well as on the theory
that the order passed by an appellate court is the correct
.,..
order which the trial court should have passed, the crucial
date must be that upon which the trial court had to deal
with the offender.... "
E
13. From the judgment of the Court, it is apparent that the
. date of the judgment of the trial court would be the crucial date
for consideration of the age of the accused while applying
Section 6 of the Act.
F 14. Faced with the 4-Judge judgment of this Court in Ramji .. ,J.

Missar (supra), the learned senior counsel for the appellant
contended that while considering the pari materia provisions
under the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986, a Constitution Bench of
this Court in Pratap Singh v. State of Jharkhand and Another,
G (2005) 3 sec 551, has held that reckoning date for determining
+
the age of a juvenile is the date of the commission of the offence
and not the date when he is produced before the competent
authority or in the court and, therefore, the provisions of Section
6 of the Act should be construed in the same light, and the age
H of the accused for applying Se~tion 6 of the Act has to be the
--+ SUDESH KUMAR v. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND 157
[P.P. NAOLEKAR, J.]

date on which the offence was committed. While interpreting A
""- '"' the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 (for short "the
1986 Act") and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2000 (for short "the 2000 Act"), this Court has
observed that these Acts provide for the care, protection,
treatment, development and rehabilitation of juveniles. The Acts B
being benevolent legislations, such interpretation must be given
"t' which would advance the cause of the legislations, i.e. to give
\--
benefit to juveniles. Section 2(1) of the 2000 Act defines 'juvenile
in conflict with law' as meaning a juvenile who is alleged to have
committed an offence. The definition of 'delinquent juvenile' in c
the 1986 Act is referable to an offence said to have been
committed by him. It is the date of offence that he was conflict
with law. When a juvenile is produced before the competent
authority and/or court, he has not committed an offence on that
date, but he was brought before the authority for the alleged
D
offence which. he has been found guilty to have committed.
Therefore, what was implicit in the 1986 Act has been made
--.-. explicit in the 2000 Act. Sinha, J. in his concurring judgment
-<(
said that having regard to the constitutional and statutory scheme
- it was not necessary for Parliament to specifically state that the
age of juvenile must be determined as on the date of commission E
of the offence and the same is inbuilt in the statutory scheme.
15. From the aforesaid, it is apparent that while determining
the age of a juvenile the Court has interpreted the provision for
giving benefit to a juvenile who has committed an offence and F
~
i.. was in conflict with law. The offence having been committed, he
came in conflict with law on the date of commission· of the offence
which is relevant for determining the ag.e for' giving protection
under the 1986 Act ·and the 2000 Act.

16. It can be noticed from Ramji Missar case (supra) arid G
... Pratap Singh case (supra) that the object and purpose of the
Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 for applying the relevant
provisions to the accused are different and cannot be said in
pari materia with the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 and the Juvenile
Justice (Care and Protection of Children) _Act, 2000. The Court H
~
158 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 2 S.C.R. r

A would not construe a Section of a statute with reference to that -~

of another statute unless the latter is in pari materia with the ,_'{

former. Therefore, a decision made on a provision of a different
statute will be of no relevance unless underlying objects of the
two statutes are in pari materia. The decision interpreting
B various provisions of one statute will not have the binding force
while interpreting the provisions of another statute. Section 6 of
the Act has been construed by a 4-Judge Bench of this Court in "1'
Ramji Missar case (supra) and that will have the binding force -(

while interpreting the same Section in same statute and. the
c decision of the Constitution Bench interpreting provisions of the
1986 Act and the 2000 Act would not be held to be a decision
on interpretation of Section 6 of the Act. Section 6 of the Act
would apply to the accused who is under 21 years of age on the
date of imposition of punishment by the trial court and not on
the date of commission of the offence. If on the date of the order
D
of conviction and sentence by the trial court the accused is below
21 years of age the provisions of Section 6 of the Act applies in
full force.
..,....4-.
17. That being the case, even if the date of birth of the
E accused is held to be 28.6.1962 as alleged by him in the petition,
on the date of delivery of judgment of conviction and sentence
on 26. 7 .1985 by the Additional District & Sessions Judge he ~
was more than21 years of age and thus was not entitled to the
benefit.under Section 6 of the Act.
F 18. That apart, the question of applicability of the Act has
been raised for the first time while filing the special leave petition. /'
The accused has not claimed benefit under Section 6 of the Act
during the trial before the Additional District & Sessions Judge
or before the High Court. Only material which was placed before
G the Sessions Judge or the High Court is the statement recorded
of the accused appellant under Section 313 Cr.P.C. wherein
the age of the accused was given as 20 years. In the similar
circumstances, in Yuduraj Singh and Others v. State of U.P.,
(1976) 4 SCC 310, this Court held as under:
.....
.
.H
-+ SUDESH KUMAR v. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND 159
[P.P. NAOLEKAR, J.]

J -f "2. The learned counsel appearing for the appellants A
argues that on August 30, 1969 when the incident took
place, appellants 3 and 4 were less than 21 years of age
and, therefore, they ought to have been given the benefit
of the Probation of Offenders Act. This contention was
neither taken in the sessions court nor in the High Court. B
True, that this Court has taken the view that in appropriate
cases such a contention may be entertained by this Court
.,,
~ for the first time. But the difficulty in accepting th~ ·
submission of the learned counsel is that there is no

_, credible evidence on the record showing that appellants c
3 and 4 were less than 21 years of age when the offence
was committed. Counsel says that those two accused
;1 had given their ages in their statements under Section
342, Code of Criminal Procedure, and if the trial Judge
doubted the correctness thereof, he could have had the
D
two accused medically examined in order to ascertain
their age This seems to us a difficult burden for any trial
Judge to undertake. The age given by the two accused in
..,.,
-..( their statements had no special significant in the absence
~ of a proper plea under the Probation of Offenders Act. ... "
E
19. For the aforesaid reasons, the appeal being devoid of
any merit, is dismissed.
(

K.K.T. Appeal dismissed.
~

....
. \..
--<

(

f