NARAYAN CHETANRAM CHAUDHARY vs THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

The Supreme Court examined whether the applicant, convicted of serious offences and sentenced to death, was a juvenile at the time of the offence under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The applicant did not raise the plea of juvenility during trial or appeal, and the Court considered whether such a plea could be entertained at this stage. The Court emphasized the importance of timely raising juvenility claims and upheld the conviction and sentence, dismissing the application for release based on juvenility.