RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT
Devendra Kachhawaha, J.
Shivraj Singh - Appellant
Versus
State of Rajasthan - Respondent
Criminal Misc. Bail Application No. 14461 of 2020
Decided On : 16-08-2021
Bail - Judicial Custody - Section 439 Cr.P.C. - The court discussed the provisions of Section 439 of the Cr.P.C. regarding bail, emphasizing the need for a fair trial and the presumption of innocence, ultimately allowing bail due to lack of evidence and prolonged detention.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner filed a bail application under Section 439 Cr.P.C. while in judicial custody for serious offenses under the IPC. The prosecution's case was weakened by hostile witness testimonies and lack of direct evidence against the petitioner.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the prosecution failed to establish a strong case against the petitioner, noting discrepancies in witness statements and the absence of specific allegations linking the petitioner to the crime.
Issues: Whether the petitioner should be granted bail considering the evidence presented and the duration of his custody.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that prolonged detention without sufficient evidence violates the principles of justice, warranting the grant of bail.
Result: The bail application is allowed, and the petitioner is granted bail under specified conditions.
ORDER
1. The present bail application has been filed under Section 439 Cr.P.C. on behalf of the petitioner, who is in judicial custody in connection with F.I.R. No. 56/2011, Police Station Bijoliya, District Bhilwara, registered for the offence under Sections 147, 148, 341, 323, 332, 353, 307, 302 & 102-B of the Indian Penal Code.
2. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner as well as learned Public Prosecutor. Perused the material available on record.
3. Learned counsel for the petitioner stated that PW-2 Anurag, PW-3 Surendra Gautam, PW-4 Brijendra Singh, PW-5 Vikram Singh S/o Laxman Singh, PW-6 Vikram Singh S/o Prithvi Raj Singh, PW-11 Ravi, P-12 Hitesh, PW-13 Vicky, PW-18 Bhanwar Lal, PW-28 Mukesh, PW-29 Prem Singh, PW-31 Sanjay and PW-35Manoj Yadav have not supported the story of the prosecution and as such they have declared hostile by the learned Trial Court; that the story of the prosecution has not been proved by any of the eye-witnessess; that PW-30 Surendra Solanki has admitted that the clothes are not available/present before the Court today; that PW-36 Ram Kishore, motbir of the recovery memo of persons, who is not an independent witness, stated that it is an admitted position that all these memos are prepared at MBS Hospital, Kota and at every time, there were number of patients and their attendants were available in that Hospital; that PW-48 Dr. Vitthal Bhardwaj admitted that the injuries caused to Bherulal may be injures of any road accident, such type of injuries may be caused in any road accident; that all the witnesses present at the spot (crime scene) categorically stated that, ^^ yxHkx 10 ls 15 vkneh jkbZQy] fiLVy] 12 cksj oxsjk ls Qk;j djrs vk;s vkSj mUgksaus xkMh dks pkjks rjQ ls ?ksj fy;k tokc esa gekjs daekMksa us Qk;j fd;s ftlls,d dkcZu ls Qk;j ugha gks ik;k o ckgj ls vkokt vk jghs Fkh ekjks&ekjk** Learned counsel further stated that there is no specific allegation against the accused-petitioner; that the accused-petitioner has not been identified at the spot or even thereafter; that there are material contradictions in the statements of the prosecution witnesses; that Mohammed Salim (PW-1) admitted that due to darkness, he cannot identified any of the accused and he was not sure that the person identified by him in the Court was present at the spot or not; that Bheru Lal, who was the in-charge of the police team, has wrongly identified the accused in the Court, he identified accused Giriraj Singh as Allu @ Arvind, identified accused Allu @ Arvind Singh as Shivraj Singh, the present petitioner as also has wrongly identified accused Giriraj Singh as Allu @ Arvind Singh; that PW-7 Bheru Lal alsoadmitted that, ^^ikjlksyh Fkkus dk tkIrk gesa dksVqUnk eksM ls vkxs rd LdkWV fd;kA ;g lgh gS fd ikjlks yh ds mijkUr dksVqUnk eksM] eSuky] vkjksyh] fctksft;ka ds Fkkuksa dk {ks=kf/kdkj vkrk gSA ;g lgh gS fd ikjlksyh Fkkus dh lhek lekIr gksus ds mijkUr ?kVuk ?kVhr gqbZ rc rd fdlh Hkh Fkkus dh LdkWV ugha Fkh** This witness further stated that he did not inform any of the concerned Police Station in this regard because there was no wireless network and did not inform through mobile of any person; that on the contrary, PW-16 Kanti Lal, driver of the pick-up van stated that information in regard to escort had been sent by Bheru Lal. This witness Kanti Lal further stated that he identified the accused-petitioner on the basis of guess work. Learned counsel stated that as per the statement of PW-9 Prem Singh and PW-10 Shabbir Mohammed stated that, when they reached at the spot after arrival of the police party, two persons came after 15 minutes and upon asking, they stated that when firing was started, they ran away from the spot, one of them was the Incharge of that police party and another was the driver of the pick-up van and, therefore, the statement of incharge Bheru Lal and driver are false. Learned counsel stated that in these circumstances, the statement of Bheru Lal is not reliable; that there were 127 witnesses
Prolonged detention without sufficient evidence can lead to the grant of bail, emphasizing the presumption of innocence.
The court established that prolonged trial delays and unreliable witness identification can justify the granting of bail under Section 439 Cr.P.C.
The court's decision was based on the lack of incriminating evidence exclusively within the knowledge of the accused-petitioners and the lack of support from the star prosecution witness.
The main legal point established is that bail may be granted based on the specific allegations and witness statements, and the expected duration of the trial.
Bail can be granted when allegations are not specific and co-accused have been released, reflecting the principle of equality in legal treatment.
The court considered the lack of witness support, the petitioner's time in custody, and the expectation of a lengthy trial in granting bail to the accused-petitioner.
Bail is a rule in pre-conviction cases; undue delay in trial and unreliable witness identification justify granting bail.
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.