India, Oct. 6 -- The Orissa high court has granted bail to a juvenile who had been detained for over seven years in connection with a murder case, observing that such prolonged incarceration amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Justice G. Satapathy, while allowing the appeal filed by the minor directed that he be released on bail, setting aside the earlier order of the additional district judge-cum-special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Cuttack, which had rejected his bail plea in November 2024.

The court said that despite the undertrial being lodged in an observation home since July 2018, the trial had made little progress. Of the total witness...