Chandigarh, Dec. 17 -- In a legal development that sets a significant precedent for the city's judiciary, the court of the Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Children's Court has sentenced three children in conflict with law (CCLs) to life imprisonment. This marks the first instance in Chandigarh where minors have been handed a life sentence following a trial conducted under adult legal standards for a brutal murder. While the trio was held guilty on December 8, the quantum of the sentence was officially pronounced on Tuesday. At the time of the offence, the accused were minors; the primary accused was aged 16 years and 10 months. However, the trajectory of the legal proceedings was determined by an order dated December 23, 2021, issued by the then-principal magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Chandigarh. The magistrate opined that given the nature of the crime, the trio should be treated as majors and recommended they be tried as adults by the Children's Court. This transition was facilitated under Section 18(3) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The section stipulates that if the JJB conducts a preliminary assessment of a "heinous offence" committed by a child over the age of 16 and concludes that the case warrants a trial by a regular court, the board possesses the power to transfer the proceedings to the Children's Court. Consequently, the trial was moved to the court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge. The conviction stems from a violent incident that occurred on September 7, 2021, in Ram Darbar Colony, Sector 31. According to the prosecution's case, the complainant, Vishal-a resident of the same colony-informed the police that he was at a local market with his friend, Jaanu, and his younger brother, Sajjan. While the group was returning home at approximately 9 pm, they were intercepted by the accused, who arrived on an Activa scooter. The prosecution detailed that the assailants, a group comprising both juveniles and adults, launched a coordinated and violent attack using an array of weapons including swords, knives, brass knuckles, and stones. The attackers reportedly shouted that they were seeking retribution for a previous altercation involving their cousin, Darshan. During the ensuing melee, one juvenile stabbed Sajjan with a knife, while the others joined the assault using various sharp-edged weapons. Sajjan later succumbed to his injuries during medical treatment. The investigation led to the swift apprehension of two juveniles on the day of the murder, while the third was arrested on September 9, 2021. Throughout the trial, the prosecution successfully corroborated the testimony of the eyewitness, Vishal, with forensic and medical evidence, as well as the physical recovery of the weapons used during the fatal assault. In its final assessment, the ASJ-cum-Children's Court concluded that the extreme gravity and premeditated nature of the crime warranted the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the three CCLs. This judgment follows a separate but related trial involving the same incident, where two other adult accused, identified as Rohit and Deepak (alias Tinda), were also sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment....