DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand high court has ordered the release of a man who had been serving a life sentence in a 2003 murder case, after it found he was a juvenile at the time of the offence. Mobin, who spent over 13 years in prison, was declared a juvenile in conflict with law, rendering his continued detention unlawful under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. The order was passed by a division bench comprising justices Ravindra Maithani and Ashish Naithani.Mobin had been convicted of murder and robbery under sections 302 and 393 of IPC by the additional district and sessions judge in Roorkee on Feb 15, 2008. His conviction was later upheld by HC on March 20, 2013, with the Supreme Court dismissing his appeal for grant of innocence in Aug 2013.The case dated back to June 24, 2003, when Mobin and four others — Imran, Shaharwan, Mustakeem and Farman — intercepted two men travelling on a scooter near Kaliyar in Roorkee. One of the victims, Jaipal Singh, was killed, while the other, Mahendra Singh, sustained injuries and was robbed. During the course of trial, Mustakeem and Farman were declared juveniles, while the remaining three, including Mobin, were sentenced as adults.Several years after his conviction, Mobin filed an application from jail, stating that he too had been a minor on the date of the offence, requesting that his case be reconsidered in light of the applicable juvenile law. The HC received this communication on June 15, 2021, and subsequently sought a report from police to verify his age. However, the report failed to offer a conclusive determination.On Aug 19, 2025, the court directed its registrar (judicial) to conduct an independent inquiry into Mobin’s age at the time of the incident. The registrar submitted a detailed report based on school records, witness statements and official documents, confirming that Mobin’s date of birth was May 22, 1988 — a finding the court deemed credible and reliable.
