HAVA SINGH vs STATE OF HARYANA & ANR

The Supreme Court held that under Section 5 of the Punjab Borstal Act, 1926, an adolescent convict under twenty-one years of age must be released upon the expiry of their detention period and cannot be transferred to jail to serve the unexpired term of imprisonment. The Court emphasized that the object of the Act is to segregate adolescent offenders for their reformation and training. Consequently, the petitioner's premature release was granted as he had completed the requisite period of detention, aligning with both the Punjab Borstal Act and the Punjab Jail Manual.