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1997 Supreme(AP) 113

Andhra Pradesh High Court
Judges : D.H.NASIR, P.S.MISHRA
S.SATYAM REDDY - Appellant
Versus
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF A.P., HYD. - Respondent
Decided On : 02-13-97

Headnote:

Constitution of India,1950 - Article 21 - Criminal procedure Code, 1973 - Section 438 - Advocates Act, 1961 - Section 30 - F. I. R. – Investigation - Court shall have to consider his request for bail without such request being reduced to writing etc - Listed which according to him are practical petitioner has made certain high sounding statements in petition such as right to life and liberty is fundamental right guaranteed by Article of constitution of India and same cannot be denied to person except in accordance with law that Chapter Code of Criminal procedure deals with provisions of bail and bonds and that none of Sections in Chapter contemplate filing or moving bail Court that Court application before itself can grant bail without there being any application for grant of bail that filing of bail application is not compulsory that it is always open to Court to enlarge accused on bail without there being any bail application that even accused can plead problems to comply with above stating guideline is that Memo of appearance should be signed by accused and attested by competent prison officer while he is in judicial custody – Held, Laws do take care however of service of copy of First information Report upon accused when he is arrested and or produced before court - No provision is traceable in any of enactments brought to our notice which person who is accused of having committed non boilable offence without appearing either in Court or without having been arrested can get copy of First Information Report - How then such person can have any definite information of accusation and how such person can develop reasonable belief that he shall be arrested for commission of non boilable offence merely because someone will come and tell him that - Accusation of having committed non-boilable offence has been made against you - Since provision Section Code of criminal Procedure court have already noticed is an exception and is invoked only by an application by person apprehending arrest best way to deal with will be to make it explicit that unless there is statement in application as to source of information of lodgment of a case in which person concerned is accused having committed non-boilable offence application should not be entertained - Copy of First Information Report will be best source of information – Court have good reasons therefore to evolve for purposes of administration justice in this behalf in State that person having any such information from reliable source can always engage an advocate for obtaining copy of First Information Report from Court of Magistrate and if any such application is made stating that copy of report is needed for purpose seeking anticipatory bail Magistrate on such statement may grant copy of First Information Report – Petition dismissed

P. S. MISHRA, C. J.

( 1 ) PETITIONER, a practising advocate at Hyderabad, has filed the instant petition and questioned the validity of the Circular bearing Roc. No. 5971/op. Cell/ 96, dated 27-12-1996, which has been issued by this Court to regulate the appearance of the advocate on behalf of the accused seeking either bail or making any other application. The offending parts of the circular are culled out in the petition, which, inter alia, introduced the requirements that (1) Memo of appearance shall be signed by the accused and attested by the competent prison officer, if he is in judicial custody. (2 ). . . . . . . . . (3) Bail applications shall not be entertained by the Court unless F. I. R. and/or remand report is filed before it. (4) For applications under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure also first Information Report shall be filed along with the bail applications. (5 ). . . . . . . . (6 ). . . . . . . . (7) No bail application shall be heard unless the same is served on the Public prosecutor. (8) The above norms also apply for applications for suspension of sentence and bails in criminal appeals/revisions.

( 2 ) PETITIONER has made certain high sounding statements in the petition such as -the right to life and liberty is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 21 of the constitution of India and the same cannot be denied to a person except in accordance with law, that Chapter 33 of the Code of Criminal procedure, 1973 deals with the provisions of bail and bonds and that none of the Sections in the Chapter contemplate the filing or moving a bail application before a Court, that the Court itself can grant bail without there being any application for grant of bail, that filing of a bail application is not compulsory, that it is always open to the Court to enlarge the accused on bail without there being any bail application, that even the accused can plead orally for bail and the Court shall have to consider his request for bail without such request being reduced to writing, etc. , and listed, which, according to him, are practical problems to comply with the above, stating : the guideline No. 1 is that the Memo of appearance should be signed by the accused and attested by the competent prison officer while he is in judicial custody. If this condition is to be followed, the accused cannot approach a Court of law if the jail authorities do not sign the memo of appearance and this is totally unacceptable to the law. The accused can be made to slog in prison if the jail authorities refuse to attest the. signatures. The jail authorities being under the control of executive of the State, the executive can always play with the lives of people especially in the politically foisted cases. The persons are virtually forced to be at the mercy of the executive which is not the law prevailing. Therefore, this guideline has to be struck down. The guideline No. 2 is that no bail application should be entertained without the F. I. R. and/or remand report. I submit that the accused cannot always be in possession of the copy of the F. I. R. In fect, to take a copy off. I. R. , even for an advocate, it takes nearly two days. I submit that the police authorities do not furnish a copy of F. I. R. or the remand report to the accused. When this is the case to expect the bail application to be along with all these things, it is almost like driving the people to be at the mercy of the police authorities/lower Court officials. I submit that the hundreds of Courts in the State of a. P. do not have xerox machines and to take a certified copy it takes in normal course, at least one week. Even in Criminal courts at Nampally where a xerox machine is available, to take a copy one has to wait atleast for two days. I submit quite a few cases which are registered by the police, authorities are false cases registered op account of severe influences and a person who is falsely implicated in these cases has to suffer and forego his fundamenta















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