Court directive to five juvenile CMAS activists

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2010/04/27/stories/2010042754400300.htm)
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Court directive to five juvenile CMAS activists


Staff Reporter



These minors will be shifted to juvenile home in Berhampur today


BERHAMPUR: Five of the arrested activists of the controversial Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) of Narayanpatna block of Koraput district were ascertained to be minors by the Laxmipur court on Monday.
These five arrested minors would be shifted to the juvenile home in Berhampur on Tuesday after being produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jeypore, said their lawyer, Nihar Ranjan Patnaik.
These juvenile CMAS activists were lodged in the Koraput district jail since their arrest around three months ago . Different social and civil rights activists had alleged among the persons arrested on charges of being CMAS members, there were minors, who were not to be cloistered with criminals inside a regular jail.
Even the District Probationary Officer of Koraput had also recommended for medical check up of suspected juvenile activists of CMAS arrested from Narayanpatna area and put in Koraput jail. The State government had to order for medical check up of the suspected juveniles.
Following the order of the State government, eight arrested CMAS activists who were suspected to be minors were sent for medical examination to ascertain their age earlier this month.
The lawyer of these CMAS activists, Mr. Patnaik said they had also pleaded that other proofs of age like school leaving certificates had also to be taken into account.
The eight suspected juveniles along with their medical test reports, documental evidences of age were produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JFMC), Laxmipur. The JFMC took into account the school leaving certificates of four and the medical report of one, to accept the five as minors. The five boys were Sana Huika, Puala Malati, Mandingi Sima, Himrika Madan, Toma Bingadika.
“This decision of the court declared that it was a grave error to put these minors in a regular jail along with criminals and they had to be immediately shifted to a juvenile home, “Mr Patnaik said.
The Koraput jail authorities said they were making arrangements so that the five minors could be shifted to the juvenile home in Berhampur.






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