ORDER :

1. Leave granted.

2. By way of this appeal, the appellant who is the accused in Complaint No. 8 of 2017 relating to offences under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (‘the PMLA Act’) and who is in custody since 27.11.2019, has questioned the order dated 25.11.2020 passed by the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, Lucknow Bench in Criminal Misc. Case No. 12568 of 2019, whereby the High Court rejected his prayer for bail while providing for expeditious proceedings in the trial and while giving him liberty to move for bail afresh, if the trial was not concluded within six months from the date of production of a certified copy of its order.

3. Shorn of unnecessary details, the relevant background aspects of the matter are that the appellant, who was then working as Chief Regional Manager, IRCTC, at Regional Office, Lucknow, was tried and convicted for the offences under Sections 7, 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (‘the P.C. Act’) in FIR No. RC0062009A0033 on the allegations that he was caught red-handed with bribe money of INR 70,000/-on 30.10.2009. The appellant was awarded sentence for maximum period of five