Section 12 bail cannot be refused absent reasonable grounds to invoke its statutory exceptions.

The child, aged 17 at the time of the incident, was accused in a case registered under Sections 103(1), 109 and 191(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, arising from an assault in which one victim died and another sustained grievous injuries.

The Juvenile Justice Board rejected the child’s application for release on bail under Section 12 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015; the Sessions Court affirmed that order.

The child challenged both orders in revision, submitting that there was no basis to find that release would expose him to any of the risks specified in Section 12.

Whether the courts below erred in rejecting the child’s application for release on bail under Section 12 of the JJ Act.

Whether there were reasonable grounds to believe that the child’s release would bring him into association with a known criminal or otherwise justify refusing bail under Section 12.

Section 12 of the JJ Act governs bail for a child alleged to be in conflict with law.

Bail may be refused where reasonable grounds exist 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.

The revision was brought under Section 102 of the JJ Act.

The Court found no material supporting a reasonable belief that the child’s release would bring him into association with a known criminal.

On that basis, it held that the courts below had erred in law in refusing release on bail.

The Court allowed the revision and imposed conditions intended to secure the child’s attendance and supervision and to prevent association with criminals or the release from defeating the ends of justice.

It directed that the child be released into his father’s custody on a personal bond of ₹50,000 with a solvent surety for the like amount, subject to the stated conditions, including the father’s supervision, the child’s attendance before the Board, and periodic vigilance by the Probation Officer.

The revision was disposed of, with a copy of the order to be sent to the Board for compliance.