'Centre had been against juvenile convict's release'

New Delhi: Amidst a raging debate on whether the juvenile convict in the Delhi gangrape case should have been released, the Centre on Saturday said it had opposed his release but the Delhi High Court has ordered him to be freed from the remand home.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju also put the onus on the Delhi government on the convict's rehabilitation. "In principle, the central government opposed the release of the juvenile offender at this stage for which we have presented our position before the honourable Delhi High Court," he said.

He said the Additional Solicitor General had put across the central government's view in the court in the case. "The Additional Solicitor General, who appeared in Subramaniam Swamy's application opposing the release (of the juvenile), also shared the central agency's assessment report with the court," he said.