Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court on Thursday granted regular bail to a 14-year-old boy who was arrested for allegedly stabbing a schoolmate to death at Seventh Day Adventist School in Khokhra, Ahmedabad, in Aug 2025.While granting bail to the child in conflict with law (CCL), Justice Gita Gopi relied on a probation officer’s report, which stated that the deceased boy had been bullying the juvenile for nearly a month before the incident.A special children’s court had refused bail to the CCL on Dec 19, 2025, following which the boy’s father moved the high court through advocate Musaib Shaikh. The state govt opposed the bail plea, citing the gravity of the offence. It also submitted that the CCL had earlier escaped from the observation home and had to be re-arrested. The lawyer representing the deceased boy’s mother also opposed the plea.After hearing the matter, the HC cited provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, emphasising its focus on reform and rehabilitation of children in conflict with law. It also referred to the probation officer’s report detailing events leading up to the incident.The court noted: “As per the probation officer’s report, the deceased child was continuously bullying the present CCL. As reported by the probation officer, since one month prior to the incident, the deceased was putting the CCL under pressure. He was under pressure to such extent that the deceased had threatened the CCL to face the consequences of complaining to the teacher. The probation officer’s report suggests that since the day of such a threat, the CCL was keeping a knife along with him.“The order further stated: “On the date of the incident, it was not that there was not simple and direct quarrel between the CCL and deceased. As per the probation officer’s report, the deceased was physically assaulting CW-19 (Child Witness) by pressing his neck. At that time, he was called by CW-18, and the CCL came there and intervened and released all of them. At that time too, the deceased had threatened the CCL and under that circumstances, the CCL had given the knife blow on his stomach.“The HC went on to state in the order, “Having considered the circumstances under which the offence is alleged to have been committed, and the report of the probation officer of continuous bullying from the side of the deceased to the CCL, and the fact that the CCL is a school-going child, and when the trial will take its own time to conclude, the CCL is required to be released on bail on his father’s executing personal bond of R 10,000.“
