Damauli, July 12

All nine cases registered with the child bench at Tanahun District Court this fiscal have been settled.

Bishwonath Aryal, registrar at the District Court said all the nine cases filed at the child bench during this fiscal were settled. Of the cases, five were related to rape, three to theft and one to murder.

The court said it had been running a separate child bench since 2006.

Last fiscal, a total of eight cases were filed. Four were settled then while the remaining were transferred to this fiscal.

As per the law, children below ten-years of age are not punishable even if they are guilty. Children between 10 to 14 years of age have to stay in prison for six months if the court gives the verdict of imprisonment and those between 14 to 16 age group are liable to spend half of the total time in jail. In case of detention, minor boys are sent to the rehabilitation centre in Sarangkot of Pokhara and girls are sent to Bhaktapur.