Panchkula, Oct. 15 -- The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Panchkula has dismissed the bail application of a Child-in-Conflict with Law (CCL), citing the need to protect him from physical and psychological harm due to his alleged association with an organised crime. The principal magistrate, Jyoti Sandhu, invoked the proviso to Section 12 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, in denying the bail. The prosecution strongly opposed the bail, arguing that the CCL was an active member of both the Bambiha Gang and the Bhupi Rana Gang, was allegedly dealing in illegal weapons and involved in a syndicate crime. It informed the board that the juvenile had been assigned to commit a murder, which was only averted due to police intervention. The CCL was booked in September this year under serious offenses, including sections 111(3) (organised crime), 111(4) (offenses related to organised crime) and 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 25(6) of the Arms Act. The JJB concluded that releasing the CCL would expose him to physical and psychological dangers. It held that his alleged involvement with the Bambiha Gang would "adversely affect his psychology and slowly convert him to habitual/hard core criminal." Therefore, the bail was dismissed for his benefit-to save him from these dangers and prevent him from likely re-offending. The defence counsel for the CCL had argued that his client was a 17-year-old minor who had been falsely implicated and is a student of Class 12, needing to prepare for his exams. The defence counsel highlighted that the police initially treated the CCL as a major and took him into police remand due to the absence of age proof at the time of arrest. While Section 12 of the Juvenile Justice Act mandates that a child apprehended for any offense, bailable or non-bailable, "shall be released on bail," the board focused on the proviso to this section. The proviso permits the denial of bail if there are "reasonable grounds for believing that the release is likely to bring that person in association with any known criminal or expose the said person to moral, physical or psychological danger or that the person's release would defeat the ends of justice." The board found that the allegations of active gang membership squarely met the criteria for denial under the proviso....