1984 Supreme(Guj) 114
Gujarat High Court
Judgename :A.S.QURESHI
SUKAR NARAN BAKHIA - Appellant
Versus
R.P.SHAH - Respondent
CRI.M.A. 395 of 1984
Decided On : 04/25/1984
Headnote:Criminal Procedure Code, 1973-Bail is a discretionary relief.
Normally different courts may come to the same conclusion on the same facts and in the same circumstances but they are not bound to do so. After all, the granting of bail is a discretionary relief though the discretion is a judicial one.
( 1 ) THE present petitioner has filed this application for enlarging him on he bail the pendency of the trial. The petitioner had filed several similar applications for Bail before this Court which have been rejected after considering all the facts and circumstances of the case. The first point urged be Mr. H. 14. Advani. the learned Counsel for the petitioner is that it is open to the accused person to file successive applications for bail one after the other on the same facts and circumstances and that each application has to he heard on merits irrespective of the result of the previous application. This contention of Mr. Advani is contested by Mr. H. M. Mehta the learned Counsel for the respondent No. 1 stating that while it is open to the petitioner to file successive applications for granting of hail. according to him. normally the court would not entertain a subsequent application unless the petitioner points out and new facts and circumstances that may have come into existence after the rejection of the prior application. Mr. Mehta has urged that earlier applications of the petitioner were fully considered by different Judges of this Court and have been rejected on merits after fully considering all the arguments advanced on behalf of the petitioner. Mr. Advani has urged that it is not necessary that there must he some new facts or circumstances which may have come into existence after the disposal of the previous bail application. On those very facts and circumstances the petitioner can come again to the Court and seek bail. According to Mr. Advani if the accused person may have failed to persuade one Judge. on that very facts and circumstances of the case he may succeed in convincing another Judge on the very facts and circumstances and if the Court is convinced that this is a fit case where the accused should be enlarged on Bail the Court may do so unhampered by the previous decisions rejecting the-bail applications. This contention of Mr. Advani must be upheld. It is the well established principle that every court has to take its own decision on the Bail application before it. No Court is bound by the decision of another Court rejecting the bail application of an accused person. While hearing the bail application a Court may come to one conclusion but another Court on the same facts and in the same circumstances may arrive at a different conclusion while disposing of the-application of the same accused. There is no principle analogous to res judicata applicable to bail applications by an accused. Normally different Courts may come to the same conclusion on the same facts and in the same circumstances hut they are not bound to do so. After all the granting of bail is a discretionary relief though the discretion is a judicial one.
( 2 ) MR. Advani has further argued that in this case as a matter of fact. there is some further development after the previous orders were passed by the other Court rejecting the bail applications of the present petitioner. That circumstance according to Mr. Advani is that. now the actual trial has commenced which was not the case then the previous bail applications were considered be the other Courts. According to Mr. Advani now the trial having commenced after a prolonged delay of several years the chances are that it would conclude reasonably soon and that there is no reason why the present petitioner should continue in detention for any further period in view of the fact that already he has been under incarceration for about 20 months. Mr. Mehta has urged that it the petitioner is enlarged on bail there is a reasonable possibility that the trial will be delayed and that the present petitioner will try to put impediments in the progress of the prosecution by himself or through some of the other accused over whom he has control or influence. According to Mr. Mehta the long delay in the commencement of the hearing of this case has been mainly due to the present petitioner