The Patna High Court has ordered the Bihar government to pay a compensation of ₹5 lakh to a juvenile who was unlawfully detained for over two and a half months. The court, comprising Justices Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Ritesh Kumar, delivered a strong rebuke to the Bihar Police and the concerned magistrate for their egregious failure to adhere to legal procedures and protect the fundamental rights of the minor. The juvenile, identified as Md. Jahid, was arrested on October 23, 2025, in connection with an FIR despite being exonerated in the initial police chargesheet filed on September 1, 2025. His arrest was carried out on the directives of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Kosi Range, who ordered further action based on assumptions, which the court termed a violation of the principle of presumption of innocence. Subsequently, the police presented him as a 19-year-old before a judicial magistrate, who mechanically remanded him to judicial custody instead of assessing his age as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. It was later confirmed through his matriculation certificate that he was 15 years, 6 months, and 8 days old at the time of the alleged offense, making his detention in an adult prison facility a gross violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, ensuring the right to life and personal liberty. The High Court not only directed the immediate release of the juvenile but also mandated an administrative inquiry by the Director General of Police, Bihar, to identify the erring officials. Furthermore, it ordered that the ₹5 lakh compensation, along with an additional ₹15,000 for litigation costs, be recovered from the salaries of these culpable officers within six months. This landmark judgment underscores the judiciary's role in safeguarding vulnerable individuals from state overreach and reinforces accountability within law enforcement and the lower judiciary.