Raipur: The Chhattisgarh HC has rejected a juvenile’s plea for bail in a 2025 murder case, saying such relief cannot be treated as an absolute or automatic right, and that his release would “defeat the ends of justice” given the seriousness of the crime.Justice Arvind Kumar Verma upheld the earlier orders of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and Sessions Court at Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh, and held that the apex court was “unconvinced” that a juvenile could claim bail without the courts examining the nature of the offence.“The JJB and the learned Court have rightly given priority to protection of the child over routine bail in a heinous crime like murder. Such acts amount to a serious rupture in the social order, violate the inherent dignity of childhood, and require collective vigilance to restore moral balance,” Justice Verma observed in his February 13 judgment.The minor filed a criminal review petition under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, challenging the order of the court sitting on 31 October 2025 denying bail. He allegedly stabbed Vikas Dhruv in Dhamtari after an altercation that took place on June 6 last year.The minor’s lawyer said that the courts of first instance failed to appreciate the reformist spirit of the 2015 law, and that his continued detention in the observation house would expose him to criminal influence. The lawyer said that the attack occurred in self-defense and that the accused had no previous criminal records and came from a poor family.Government advocate Vivek Sharma asserted that the lower courts properly evaluated the evidence, highlighting the serious nature of the crime.
