2026 Supreme(Online)(Ker) 2869
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
DR. KAUSER EDAPPAGATH, J
NABEEL – Appellant
Versus
STATE OF KERALA – Respondent
BAIL APPL. NO. 14357 OF 2025 | CRIME NO.574/2025
For the Appellants/Petitioners: SRI.K.RAKESH
For the Respondents: SMT.M.K.PUSHPALATHA, SR. PP.
The court allows pre-arrest bail under specific conditions, emphasizing the necessity of cooperation with the investigation.
Headnote:The judgment pertains to a bail application under Section 482 of the BNSS, where the applicant seeks pre-arrest bail as accused No.1 in crime No.574/2025. The prosecution alleges physical torture and misappropriation of gold by the applicant towards the defacto complainant. The court finds the applicant's custodial interrogation unnecessary given the completion of investigation and lack of prior criminal antecedents. It ultimately allows bail with conditions. The court frames the issue around whether bail should be granted while considering the ongoing investigation, concluding with specific bail conditions outlined in detail.
| Table of Content |
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| 1. court allowed the bail with specified conditions. (Para 1 , 2 , 6) |
| 2. the applicant committed offences against the complainant. (Para 3 , 4) |
| 3. arguments regarding the necessity and implications of bail. (Para 5) |
ORDER
This application is filed under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita , 2023 (for short, BNSS ), seeking pre-arrest bail.
2. The applicant is the accused No.1 in Crime No.574/2025 of Pandikkad Police Station, Malappuram District. The offences alleged are punishable under Sections 85 , 316(2), 115(2), 118(1), 117(2) read with Section 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita , 2023.
3. The prosecution case, in short, is that on 03.12.2020, the applicant married the defacto complainant and while living together as husband and wife, on 27-03-2025, the applicant physically tortured the defacto complainant after misappropriating her gold and also by demanding more dowry. Thus, the applicant committed the above said offences.
4. I have heard Sri. K. Rakesh, the learned counsel for the applicant and Smt. M.K. Pushpalatha, the learned Senior Public Prosecutor. Perused the case diary.
5. The learned counsel for the applicant submitted that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the above crime. The counsel further submitted that no materials are on record to connect the applicant with the alleged crime; hence, he is entitled to bail. The learned Senior Public Prosecutor, on the other hand, submitted that the alleged incident occurred as part of the applicant's intentional criminal acts, and if he is released on bail at this stage, it will affect the course of the investigation.
6. The applicant is the husband of the defacto complainant. Annexure A is the FIR, which was registered on 11/11/2025 pertaining to an incident dated 27.03.2025. Annexure B is the another FIR registered at the instance of the defacto complainant against her classmate. A perusal of the FIS that forms part of Annexure B FIR would show that the defacto complainant and her classmate were in a relationship after the marriage with the applicant and they have even exchanged naked photos each other. According to the applicant, after the registration of Annexure B FIR, his relationship with the defacto complainant was ruined, and as a counterblast, Annexure A FIR was registered. The investigation is almost over. The applicant has no criminal antecedents. Considering the allegations made against the applicant, his custodial interrogation seems unnecessary. For these reasons, I find this to be an appropriate case to grant pre-arrest bail to the applicant.
In the result, the application is allowed on the following conditions:-
(i) The applicant shall be released on bail in the event of his arrest on executing a bond for Rs.1,00,000/- (Rupees One lakh only) with two solvent sureties for the like sum each to the satisfaction of the arresting officer/investigating officer, as the case may be.
(ii) The applicant shall fully cooperate with the investigation, including subjecting himself to the deemed police custody for discovery, if any, as and when demanded.
(iii) The applicant shall appear before the investigating officer between 10.00 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. every Saturday until further orders. He shall also appear before the investigating officer as and when required.
(iv) The applicant shall not commit any offence of a like nature while on bail.
(v) The applicant shall not attempt to contact any of the prosecution witnesses, directly or through any other person, or in any other way try to tamper with the evidence or influence any witnesses or other persons related to the investigation.
(vi) The applicant shall not leave the State of Kerala without the permission of the trial Court.
(vii) The application, if any, for deletion/modification of bail conditions or cancellation of bail on the grounds of violating the bail conditions shall be filed at the jurisdictional court.