Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, August 17
The 14-years-old son of an RTI activist, Anil Chaubey of a Buxar village who was under illegal detention since February 29 was set free from Jail after he got bail from the Buxar district Court and Juvenile Justice Board.
Anil Chaubey is a farmer in Rampur Dihri village under Rajput police station of Buxar district, 125 kms west from the state capital on Bihar -UP border.
Buxar Superintendent of Police Upendra Nath Verma said the boy had been released from jail. An inquiry had been ordered to verify his age. Rajpur police while sending the boy to jail had claimed he was a major, but according to the records in the school register he was born in April, 2006.
Asked whether any action would be taken against the guilty policemen, Verma said “an investigation has been ordered .No action proposed.”
Chaubey’s son was arrested by Rajpur police on February 29, while he was returning from the school examination centre at Dildarnagar (UP) on motor cycle with two of his friends. Police claimed he was carrying a pistol and his friends were carrying six live cartridges. He was sent to jail for violation of the Arms Act and his friends were released on bail.
Shashank Shekhar, a member of the Juvenile Justice Board told this correspondent over phone, “The boy has been released following orders of the JJ Board passed on Saturday. He came to the board today to meet us. He is free man now.”
Asked whether any action has been recommended against those who sent the minor to jail, he said, that was beyond their jurisdiction. He was ordered to be released as the board found him minor.
Chaubey had been fighting against corruption and irregularities in the implementation of the government schemes, particularly rural employment guarantee scheme and procurement of paddy by the primary agriculture co-operative societies.
He said some panchayat leaders were unhappy with him and had got him implicated in a case related to SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act too. But, he was given justice by the Court.
Chaubey said these leaders who were aggrieved with his RTI applications were responsible for sending his minor son to jail. He thanked the members of the JJ Board for ordering his release.
The case was taken up by the director general of police, Gupteshwar Pandey who was approached by Chaubey in March. Pandey had ordered an inquiry into the arrest of Chaubey’s son.
According to an official study, 16000 cases are pending before the JJ Boards in Bihar with Nalanda on the top where 42.6 per cent of the total cases are pending. It is 0.8 per cent in Aurangabad and nil in Arwal district.
Nalanda is the home district of the chief minister, Nitish Kumar.
