Raipur: Chhattisgarh HC dismisses appeal of youth seeking bail in 2025 homicideIt said such relief could not be considered an absolute or automatic right and release would be “defeat the ends of justice” given the seriousness of the offence.Justice Arvind Kumar Verma upheld the earlier orders of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and the Chhattisgarh Dhamtari bench and held that the high court was “not convinced” that the juvenile could seek bail without the court examining the nature of the offence.“In heinous crimes such as murder, the JJB and the courts have rightly prioritized child protection over regular bail. Such acts seriously disrupt social order, violate the inherent dignity of children and require collective vigilance to restore moral balance,” Justice Verma observed in his judgment on February 13.The minor filed a criminal modified plea under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, challenging the court order dated October 31, 2025, denying bail. He allegedly stabbed Vikas Dhruv following an altercation in Dhamtari on June 6 last year.The minor’s lawyers argued that lower courts failed to understand the reform spirit of the 2015 law and that continuing to hold him in an observation center would expose him to criminal repercussions. Lawyers said the attack was in self-defence and the defendant had no previous criminal record and came from a poor family.Government lawyer Vivek Sharma argued that the lower court had correctly assessed the evidence, highlighting the seriousness of the crime.
