Allowed

Saddam v. State of U.P.

Allahabad HC17 May 2023BAIL/22077/2023

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

The High Court allowed the bail application of the applicant, Saddam, charged with theft. The Court held that criminal antecedents alone are not a ground to deny bail unless there is material showing tampering, witness intimidation, or flight risk, which the State failed to demonstrate.

What did the court decide?

Release of the applicant on bail on a personal bond and two sureties subject to standard conditions preventing tampering with evidence or witnesses.

Saddam Vs State of U.P. — Bail and Remand | Allahabad HC (2023)

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Neutral Citation No. - 2023:AHC:107107

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Court No. - 88

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Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. - 22077 of 2023

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Applicant :- Saddam Opposite Party :- State of U.P. Counsel for Applicant :- Ajay Kumar Srivastava Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A.

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Hon'ble Vikram D. Chauhan,J.

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Learned A.G.A. submits that instructions have been received and he has no objection in case the bail application is heard on merits.

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Heard learned counsel for the applicant, learned A.G.A. for the State and perused the record.

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It is submitted by learned counsel for the applicant that the first information report was lodged against the unknown person. The theft of gold and silver jewellery, sarees and Rs. 35,000/- was alleged in the first information report. Subsequently, the applicant was apprehended and from the possession of the applicant, one chain, one payal, two rings and other materials have been recovered. Learned counsel for the applicant further submits that there is no evidence linking the applicant with the alleged crime, even the articles recovered have not been identified by the owner. The applicant has been falsely implicated. The criminal history of the applicant has been explained in paragraph no. 11 of the affidavit of which five cases have been registered against the applicant on the same day. The co-accused Mahnuddin has already been granted bail vide order dated 13.03.2023 in Criminal Misc. Bail Application No. 7979 of 2023. Applicant is languishing in jail since 12.1.2023 and in case he is released on bail, he will not misuse the liberty of bail and will cooperate in the trial.

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Learned A.G.A. for the State opposed the prayer for bail but does not dispute factual matrix of the case.

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Learned AGA has pointed out the criminal antecedents of the Applicant. No material or circumstance has been brought to the notice of this court with regard to tampering of evidence or intimidating of witness in previous criminal cases. In Ash

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Mohammad v. Shiv Raj Singh, (2012) 9 SCC 446 , the Apex Court in para 30 has observed:

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"We may hasten to add that when we state that the accused is a history-sheeter we may not be understood to have said that a history-sheeter is never entitled to bail. But, it is a significant factor to be taken note of regard being had to the nature of crime in respect of which he has been booked."

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In the case of Prabhakar Tewari Vs. State of U.P. and another 2020 (11) SCC 648 , the Hon'ble Supreme Court has observed that pendency of several criminal cases against the accused may itself cannot be a basis for refusal of bail.

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In so far as criminal antecedents of the applicant is concerned, it is not the case of the State that applicant might tamper with or otherwise adversely influence the investigation, or that he might intimidate witnesses before or during the trial. The State has also not placed any material that applicant in past attempted to evade the process of law. If the accused is otherwise found to be entitled to bail, he cannot be denied bail only on the ground of criminal history, no exceptional circumstances on basis of criminal antecedents have been shown to deny bail to accused, hence, the Court does not feel it proper to deny bail to the applicant just on the ground that he had criminal antecedent.

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The principle that Bail is a rule and Jail is an exception has been well recognised by Apex Court more specifically on the touch stone of Article 21 of the Constitution. The said principle has been reiterated by the Apex Court in Satyendra Kumar Antil Vs Central Bureau of Investigation and another , 2022 (10) SCC 51 . Learned A.G.A. has not shown any exceptional circumstances which would warrant denial of bail to the applicant.

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No material, facts or circumstances has been shown by learned A.G.A. that the accused may tamper with the evidence or witnesses or the accused is of such character that his mere presence at large would intimidate the witnesses or that accused will use his liberty to subvert justice or tamper with the evidence.

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10.It is settled principle of law that the object of bail is to secure the attendance of the accused at the trial. No material particulars or circumstances suggestive of the applicant fleeing from justice or thwarting the course of justice or creating other troubles in the shape of repeating offences or intimidating witnesses and the like have been shown by learned AGA for the State.

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Learned A.G.A. for the State has not shown any material or circumstances that the accused/applicant is not entitled to bail in larger interests of the public or State.

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Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, nature of offence, evidence, complicity of the accused, submissions of learned counsel for the parties and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the Court is of the view that the applicant has made out a case for bail. The bail application is allowed .

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Let the applicant Saddam involved in Case Crime No. 0238 of 2022, under Sections 457, 380, 411 I.P.C., Police StationJahanganj, District- Farrukhabad be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned subject to the following conditions:-

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(i). The applicant will not tamper with the evidence during the trial.

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(ii). The applicant will not pressurize/intimidate the prosecution witness.

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(iii). The applicant will appear before the trial court on the date fixed, unless personal presence is exempted and/or the applicant shall make himself available for interrogation by a police officer as and when required.

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(iv). The applicant shall not commit an offence similar to the offence of which he is accused, or suspected, of the commission of which he is suspected.

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(v). The applicant shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or to any police officer or tamper with the evidence.

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(vi). The applicant shall not leave India without the previous permission of the Court.

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In case of breach of any of the above condition, the prosecution shall be at liberty to move bail cancellation application before this Court.

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Order Date :- 17.5.2023

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Sumit Kumar

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Digitally signed by :- SUMIT KUMAR High Court of Judicature at Allahabad

Saddam v. State of U.P.

Case brief

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Saddam v. State of U.P.

Case brief

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