The Gujarat High Court has granted regular bail to a 14-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing his schoolmate outside the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Higher Secondary School in the Khokhra area.
The incident, which occurred in August 2025, involved a Child in Conflict with Law (CCL) who was arrested for the alleged murder of a fellow student following a series of altercations. A special children's court had denied bail to the teen in December.
Justice Gita Gopi, while presiding over the matter, emphasised the reformative and rehabilitative spirit of the Juvenile Justice Act. The court's decision came following a report from a probation officer, which shed light on a pattern of continuous bullying directed at the accused juvenile.
According to the report, the deceased had been allegedly bullying and pressuring the CCL for nearly a month leading up to the encounter.
The court noted that the deceased had threatened the CCL with consequences if he complained to their teachers. This persistent intimidation reportedly led the juvenile to carry a knife for self-defense. On the day of the incident, a witness reported that the deceased was physically assaulting another child by pressing his neck. When the CCL intervened to help, he was allegedly threatened by the deceased, prompting him to deliver the fatal blow to the victim's stomach.
While the state government and the lawyer representing the victim's mother strongly opposed the bail, HC prioritised the long-term welfare of the school-going child. Justice Gopi observed that the trial would likely be lengthy and that the circumstances of the offense, rooted in a history of bullying, warranted the juvenile's release.
The bail was granted upon the execution of a personal bond of Rs 10,000 by the boy's father.