The man has signed a consent form to be in the care of the NGO, in view of what the police say is a serious threat to his life. (File photograph)
Release papers were signed at 5 pm on Sunday for the youngest convict in the December 16 gang-rape case. The convict, who was in the custody of Delhi Police for security purposes for the last week, was handed over to a Delhi-based non-profit organisation.
The man was a few months short of 18 years on December 16, 2012, when he and five others had raped 23-year-old Jyoti Singh. He was freed on Sunday after the Delhi High Court refused to stay his release, saying the law doesn't allow keeping him in further detention.
Now an adult, the man has signed a consent form to be in the care of the NGO, in view of what the police say is a serious threat to his life.
The court had asked Delhi government to prepare a plan for his rehabilitation. Till the plan is ready, he will be under the care of the non-profit.
At the NGO, he is expected to undergo vocational training and attend classes on mental health. Sources in the NGO told NDTV that their task is to make him self-sufficient and ready to rejoin society. During this period he will be under constant watch.
All of this could, however, change if the Supreme Court decides in favour of the plea filed on Saturday by the Delhi women's commission.
The plea, which will be heard today, objects to the release, saying during his stay in the correctional home, the convict showed a lack of remorse about his action and he has been further radicalised.
There were protests yesterday against the man's release at India Gate, led by parents of Jyoti Singh, who had died 13 days after the brutal assault. The police later rounded up the protesters and evicted them from the venue after a brief detention.
The maximum punishment under the Juvenile Justice Act is three years' confinement at correctional homes. But the minor's participation in the crime had triggered a nationwide debate on treating juveniles as adults in cases of heinous crimes.
A bill to this effect has been passed by Lok Sabha but is still pending in the Upper House of Parliament.