R.A.Sharma, J.

1. The appellants in these four appeals have challenged their conviction and sentence to life imprisonment passed by the different sessions courts in four different cases (STs). Their prayer for bail at the time of admission of these appeals having been rejected by this Court, in some of the cases more than once, they have moved fresh petitions seeking bail during the pendency of their appeals in this Court.

2. As such petitions seeking bail are frequently made by those whose prayer for bail during the pendency of their appeals has been rejected earlier and they are opposed on the ground that such prayer should be granted after expiry of about five years in jail custody of the appellants, we decided to hear these petitions together so as to enable the learned Counsel for the parties to argue the matter at length.

3. We have heard Mr. P.S.Dayal, learned Senior Counsel, Mr. T.R.Bajaj and other learned Counsel for the appellants and Mr. I.N. Gupta, learned Counsel for the State at length on the applications for grant of bail during the pendency of these appeals.

4. The apex Court has considered and decided this question in more than one case. In Kashmira Singh V