A Delhi court recently granted interim bail to an 18-year-old student arrested in an attempt to murder case, to enable him take the last remaining paper of the class XII Board Examination.

Additional Sessions Judge Shreya Arora Mehta observed that the loss of an academic year at this critical juncture would caused an irreparable prejudice to the accused.

The Court noted that he has already appeared in five out of six board examination papers. His last exam for Sociology is on April 4.

"If the applicant is not permitted to appear in this examination, his entire academic year will be lost and he will have to re-appear in all six subjects in the following year. This constitutes irreparable prejudice to the academic career of a young person who is 18 years of age. The loss of an academic year at this critical juncture cannot be undone even if the applicant is ultimately found not guilty," the judge said.

The Court thus granted bail to the accused for four days, from the evening of March 31 to April 4.

According to the case details, the 18-year-old is alleged to have incited a minor to stab the victim, another student. The accused had allegedly held the victim while the juvenile co-accused stabbed him with a knife at the main gate of Andhra Public School, DDU Marg, New Delhi.

The Court observed that interim bail for the specific purpose of appearing in an examination does not amount to condonation of the alleged offence.

"It merely ensures that the constitutional right to education of the applicant is not irretrievably sacrificed during the pendency of investigation," it added.

The Court also highlighted the school administration's failure to act after the complainant had objected to the accused burning and throwing crackers inside the school premises two days before the knife attack.

It found that no disciplinary intervention, counselling, or parental communication had been undertaken after the first incident.

"A timely intervention by a trained counsellor, a conversation with the parents, or even a stern word from a teacher could well have prevented this Court from having to deal with a case under Section 109(1) BNS involving two young persons who ought to be sitting in classrooms rather than in courtrooms and custody," the judge said.

The Court remarked that by the time a matter reaches the courts, the damage is already done to the body and mind of the victim, to the future of the accused, and to the trust that every parent places in the institution to which they send their child each morning.

"No academic result is meaningful if the environment in which it is pursued is one of fear and violence," the judge emphasised.

The Court noted that age group of 14 to 18 years is a period of acute biological and emotional transition and called for heightened attention to the welfare of the young children.

"In recent times, the exposure of children violence through social media, online content, and the broader environment has increased manifold. What was once distant and abstract is now immediate and immersive. This heightened exposure demands a correspondingly heightened vigilance not merely of the same kind, but of a different and more attentive quality from parents, schools, and communities alike. A trivial quarrel over crackers on 16.03.2026 escalated within 48 hours to an alleged attempt on life with a knife on 18.03.2026," it added

Considering the compelling circumstance of the CBSE Board Examination, and its interaction with both the victim and the accused, the Court granted interim bail in the matter.

The accused was directed to share his location with the investigating officer at all times and has been barred from contacting the complainant or any witness.

He required to be accompanied by his father/guardian to the examination centre, has to enter directly and leave immediately after the exam.

The Court also directed the police to depute an officer at the examination centre to ensure that the accused and the complainant, who are classmates, write the paper without any incident.

The accused has been directed to surrender before the Jail Superintendent on April 4 at 6 PM.