Balu @ Bakthvatchalu vs State Of Tamilnadu

The Supreme Court examined the applicability of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 in determining the juvenile status of the appellant charged under Section 302 IPC. The Court held that the relevant date for assessing juvenile status is the date of the incident, not the date of court appearance, referencing the precedent set in Pratap Singh vs. State of Jharkhand (2005) 3 SCC 551. The appeal was allowed, and the case was remanded for further proceedings in accordance with the juvenile provisions.