SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Article Pause Article
judgment-img

2020 Supreme(UK) 269

IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL
Ravindra Maithani, J.
Sushila Devi - Appellant
Versus
State Of Uttarakhand And Others - Respondent
Anticipatory Bail Application No. 4 of 2018
Decided On : 01-10-2020

Advocates Appeared:
Vinod Sharma, Advocate, Pratiroop Pande, Advocate, Akshay Laltwal, Advocate, N.S. Pundir, Advocate

An ad-interim anticipatory bail order requires confirmation after hearing the parties and may be in varied terms, but if not confirmed, it does not become a final anticipatory bail order.

Headnote:

Anticipatory Bail - Ad-Interim Order - Section 420 IPC - [Section 420 IPC] - The court discussed the nature of the order dated 15th November, 2018, and concluded that it was an ad-interim anticipatory bail order, not a final order. The court referred to legal provisions and case law to establish that an ad-interim order requires confirmation after hearing the parties and may be in varied terms, but if not confirmed, it does not become a final anticipatory bail order. The court dismissed the anticipatory bail application as infructuous due to the filing of the charge-sheet.

Fact of the Case:

The applicant filed an anticipatory bail application in FIR No. 72 of 2018, under Section 420 IPC. The court issued an ad-interim anticipatory bail order on 15th November, 2018, and later concluded that it was not a final order due to the pending objections and absence of a final hearing. The court dismissed the anticipatory bail application as infructuous after the filing of the charge-sheet.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the order dated 15th November, 2018, was an ad-interim anticipatory bail order, not a final order, and dismissed the anticipatory bail application as infructuous due to the filing of the charge-sheet.

Issues: The main issue was whether the order dated 15th November, 2018, was an ad-interim anticipatory bail order or a final order, and whether the anticipatory bail application became infructuous after the filing of the charge-sheet.

Ratio Decidendi: The court established that an ad-interim anticipatory bail order requires confirmation after hearing the parties and may be in varied terms, but if not confirmed, it does not become a final anticipatory bail order. The court also concluded that the anticipatory bail application became infructuous after the filing of the charge-sheet.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the anticipatory bail application as infructuous due to the filing of the charge-sheet.

JUDGMENT

Ravindra Maithani, J. - Applicant Smt. Sushila Devi filed an application for anticipatory bail in FIR No. 72 of 2018, under Section 420 IPC, Police Station Ranipokhri, District Dehradun. The application was filed on 12th October, 2018. The matter was listed on various occasions. On 15th November, 2018, the Court ordered that notice be issued to the respondent no.3 returnable within a period of three weeks and thereafter passed the following orders:

"Considering the submission of learned counsel for the parties and after going through the papers available on record, it is directed that the applicant shall join the investigation and shall fully cooperate with the investigating agency. In the event of arrest with regard to the aforesaid FIR, applicant shall be released on bail on her furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs. 50,000/- two sureties in the like amount to the satisfaction of the arresting officer."

2. The matter was again listed because notices were issued to the respondent no.3. Now, the State has filed objections. The objection relates to the maintainability of the anticipatory bail application, a thing which is a history now, because the provision is contained in the statute book. State also informed that charge-sheet has been submitted in the case.

3. The only point, which remains for consideration is, as to whether, the order dated 15th November, 2018, as quoted hereinabove is an ad-interim anticipatory bail order or is it anticipatory bail order? It is so, because in view of the settled proposition of law as discussed hereinafter, anticipatory bail order shall remain in force till the trial unless the tenure of anticipatory bail is limited by the Court under any special and peculiar feature.

4. On behalf of the applicant, it is submitted that the order dated 15th November, 2018 passed by the Court, is a final order of anticipatory bail because it is argued that:

(i) The order dated 15th November, 2018 was passed after giving opportunity to the prosecution and it was passed after 34 days of the anticipatory bail application having been filed.

(ii) By virtue of order dated 15th November, 2018, the main relief sought by the applicant has been granted.

(iii) The language of the order dated 15th November, 2018, clearly reflects that it is final order because it gives direction as to what will be done in the event of arrest of the applicant in connection with the FIR in question.

(iv) As directed, in the case of Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia and others vs State Of Punjab, (1980) 2 SCC 565 , the order dated 15th November, 2018 has been passed after affording an opportunity of hearing to the prosecution.

(v) The order dated 15th November, 2018, also contains the following wordings: -

"It is made clear that if applicant misuses her liberty, does not cooperate with investigating agency, the investigating agency shall be at liberty to move this Court for cancellation of anticipatory bail."

5. On the basis of which, it is argued that there is no allegation of misusing of anticipatory bail by the applicant and no application has been filed for cancellation of the anticipatory bail by the Police. Even otherwise, it is argued that the correctness of this order cannot be considered by this Court. In this context, learned counsel for the applicant relied on the following proposition of law as laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Sushila Aggarwal vs. State (NCT Of Delhi),2020 SCCOnlineSC 98.

" Para 140- This Court, in the light of above discussions in the two judgments, and in the light of answers to the reference, hereby clarifies that the following need to be kept in mind dealing with applications under Section 438, CR.P.C.;.......................................................

.......................................................

(9) it is open to the police or the investigating agency to move the court concerned, which grants anticipatory bail, under Section 439 (2) to arrest the accused, in the violat

Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
whatsapp-icon Back to top