Juvenile Accused Of Dagger Attack Gets Bail As Chhattisgarh HC Notes First Conflict With Law And No Release Risks Shown

The juvenile was accused of assaulting the victim with a sharp-edged weapon, allegedly attempting to cause murder; a charge sheet was filed for an offence under Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The Juvenile Justice Board rejected his bail application under Section 12 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (“JJ Act”), and the appellate court upheld that rejection.

The juvenile challenged both orders in revision under Section 102 of the JJ Act. He had been in an Observation Home since 16 June 2026, and the charge sheet had been filed.

The social status report described this as his first conflict with law and was not negative.

Section 12 of the JJ Act governs bail for a child alleged to be in conflict with law. The statutory presumption is in favour of release, subject to the prescribed exceptions: bail may be refused where there are reasonable grounds to believe that release is likely to bring the child into association with a known criminal, expose the child to moral, physical or psychological danger, or defeat the ends of justice.

Section 102 provides for revision by the High Court.

The Court considered the social status report, the juvenile’s period of custody, and the fact that the charge sheet had already been filed.

It found that this was the juvenile’s first conflict with law and that the prosecution had produced no material establishing any of the grounds for refusing release under Section 12. In those circumstances, and having regard to the custody period and completion of investigation, the Court concluded that bail was appropriate.

It directed that the juvenile be released into his parents’ custody if either parent furnished a personal bond of ₹25,000 with one surety for the like amount, to the satisfaction of the Juvenile Justice Board, and ensured his appearance as directed.