IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Minor NS (Juvenile in Conflict with law) ... Petitioner Versus State of Punjab ... Respondent

1. The date when the judgment is reserved 03.02.2026 2. The date when the judgment is pronounced 05.02.2026 3. The date when the judgment is uploaded on the 05.02.2026 website

4. Whether only operative part of the judgment is Full pronounced or whether the full judgment is pronounced

5. The delay, if any, of the pronouncement of full Not applicable judgment, and reasons thereof CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANISHA BATRA Present: Mr. Sandeep Lather, Advocate, for the petitioner.

Mr. Roshandeep Singh, AAG, Punjab, for the respondent-State.

***

MANISHA BATRA , J.

1. The instant revision petition has been filed by the petitioner against the order dated 24.10.2025 passed by the Court of learned Additional Sessions Judge/Special Court, Ludhiana in Criminal Appeal bearing CRA No.1036 of 2025 titled as Juvenile in conflict with law v. State of Punjab arising out of FIR No.108 dated 27.06.2025 registered under Sections 21(c) and 29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (for short ‘NDPS Act’) and Section 25 of Arms Act, 1959 at Police Station Dugri, Ludhiana, whereby an appeal filed by the petitioner against the order dated 18.08.2025 passed by the Court of learned Principal Magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Ludhiana, had been dismissed and the order of the JJB declining prayer of the petitioner for release on bail had been upheld.

2. Brief facts relevant for the purpose of disposal of this petition are that the aforementioned FIR was registered on the allegations that on 27.06.2025, a police party was present at Dugri Chowk, Ludhiana when a secret information was received to the effect that the petitioner along with the co-accused was involved in the business of drug trafficking and sale of illicit weapons and at that very point of time, all of them were present in urban estate area, Dugri along with contraband and illicit weapons and could be apprehended. Believing the secret information to be true, a raiding party was formed which reached at the informed place. Three youths were found standing on the road at an abandoned place and were found opening and checking a white coloured heavy packet. On seeing the police officials, they threw the said packet on the ground. They were apprehended. On asking, they disclosed their names and particulars and the petitioner was one of them. On opening the packet, one electronic weighing scale, 15 plastic packets, 03 pistols of .32 bore, 01 pistol of .45 bore, 01 polythene packet containing 9 live cartridges of .32 and .45 bore were recovered from the same. A black heavy polythene was also found kept in the same and 268 grams of heroin was recovered from the same which was taken into custody. The petitioner and the co-accused were formally arrested. The petitioner was found to be a juvenile and was ordered to be detained. Investigation now stands concluded. The petitioner moved an application for grant of regular bail which has been dismissed by the learned Principal Magistrate, JJB vide order dated 18.08.2025.

3. As already mentioned, the appeal filed against the abovesaid order has also been dismissed by learned Appellate Court vide order dated

24.10.2025.

4. Feeling aggrieved, the present petition has been filed by the petitioner.

5. It is argued by learned counsel for the petitioner that he has been falsely implicated in this case. He is in custody since long. He is facing trial before Children Court now. He was below the age of 18 years at the time of occurrence and as such, was entitled to be released on bail as a matter of right under the provisions of Section 12 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (For short “Act, 2015”). However, while passing the impugned order, the learned Principal Magistrate and the Appellate Court did not take these facts into consideration. The provisions of Section 12 of the Act,