Juvenile Accused in Delhi Gang Rape May Only Get Three Years

The Indian Juvenile Justice board ruled Monday that one of the suspects in a fatal gang rape last month will be tried as a juvenile—and if convicted, the worst sentence he can face for the will be three years in a detention facility.

The Indian Juvenile Justice board ruled Monday that one of the suspects in a fatal gang rape will be tried as a juvenile—and if convicted, the worst sentence he can face would be three years in a detention facility. The suspect and five other men are accused of kidnapping, raping, and murdering 23-year-old Jyoti Singh last month.

"The teenager, who school records show is 17 years old, could receive a maximum sentence of three years in a detention facility if found guilty," reports The New York Times. That isn't going to please Singh's family or the prosecution, who are currently seeking the death penalty for the five other suspects in the case. The five men and the minor, police say, took turns raping Singh and violating her with an iron rod on a moving bus on December 16—Singh eventually died from her injuries in a Singapore hospital on December 28.

The five other suspects are being tried in a separate, fast-track court—created specifically to deal with sexual assault crimes—where arguments were still being heard on Monday.