Rahul Kumar Yadav vs The State Of Bihar

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of juvenility under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and its subsequent amendment in 2015. The Court held that the plea of juvenility can be raised at any stage of the proceedings, as per the proviso to Section 9(2) of the JJ Act, 2015, and emphasized the necessity of a proper inquiry into the appellant's age. The Court found that the previous dismissals of the juvenility claim were perfunctory and directed that an inquiry be conducted to ascertain the appellant's age, thereby allowing the appeal to that extent.