Prayagraj, Nov. 1 -- The Allahabad high court has held that a conviction under the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act cannot be considered grounds for disqualification from appointment in government services. A bench of chief justice Arun Bhansali and justice Kshitij Shailendra gave the rulingon October 16 but made public on Friday, while hearing aplea filed by one Pundarikaksh who participated in a 2019 drive organised by the state education department to apply for the post of post graduate teacher (PGT). After being selected, the petitioner joined the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Amethi, in August 2020. However, two months later, a complaint was filed with the institute against Pundarikaksh over the concealment of a criminal case lodged against him. At the time of the alleged incident, the applicant was 17-years-old. After a detailed inquiry, he was dismissed from service. The court, in its order, said, "A bare perusal of Section19(1) of the [JJ] Act makes it clear that it starts with a 'non-obstante clause' excludingthe applicability of any other law in the matter of a juvenileand clearly provides that a juvenile who has committedan offence and has been dealt with under the provisions of the Act, shall not suffer disqualification attaching to a conviction of an offence under such law."...