Sushila Devi and 2 Others v. State of U.P

Court No. - 64 Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. - 50199 of 2023 Applicant :- Sushila Devi And 2 Others Opposite Party :- State of U.P. Counsel for Applicant :- Jayant Srivastava,Abhishek Kumar Srivastava Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A.,Ganesh Kumar Verma,G.K.Verma Hon'ble Siddharth,J. Heard Sri Ajay Prakash Paul, Advocate holding brief of Sri Jayant Srivastava, learned counsel for the applicants; Sri Ganesh Kumar Verma, learned counsel for the informant and learned A.G.A for the State. Rejoinder affidavit filed today is taken on record. There are allegations against the applicant of forming unlawful assembly, committing the offences of rioting, beating and murder with common object. Counsel for the applicant submits that no specific role has been assigned to any of the seven accused named in the FIR, including the applicants, who are woman. All are alleged to have caused injuries to the deceased by lathi. The deceased has suffered two fatal injuries on head. It is not clear who out of the seven accused were responsible for the same. Even otherwise the applicants are woman and entitled to protection of Section 437 Cr.P.C. The applicants have been falsely implicated in this case. They are in jail since 14.07.2023 and have no criminal history to their credits. On the other hand learned A.G.A has opposed the prayer for bail. Keeping in view the nature of the offence, evidence, complicity of the accused; submissions of the learned counsel for the parties noted above; finding force in the submissions made by the learned counsel for the applicant; keeping view the uncertainty regarding conclusion of trial; one sided investigation by police, ignoring the case of accused side; applicants being under-trial having fundamental right to speedy trial; larger mandate of the Article 21 of the Constitution of India; considering the dictum of Apex Court in the case of Satendra Kumar Antil vs. C.B.I., passed in S.L.P (Crl.) No. 5191 of 2021; considering 5-6 times overcrowding in jails over and above their capacity by the under trials and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the Court is of the view that the applicants have made out a case for bail. The bail application is allowed. Let the applicants, Sushila Devi, Poonam Devi and Bindu Devi, involved in Case Crime No. 139 of 2023, under Sections-147, 148, 149, 323, 504, 302 IPC, Police Station-Baghauchghat, District-Deoria, be released on bail on their furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned subject to following conditions. Further, before issuing the release order, the sureties be verified.

(i) The applicants shall not tamper with the evidence or threaten the witnesses.

(ii) The applicants shall file an undertaking to the effect that they shall not seek any adjournment on the dates fixed for evidence when the witnesses are present in Court. In case of default of this condition, it shall be open for the Trial Court to treat it as abuse of liberty of bail and pass orders in accordance with law.

(iii) The applicants shall remain present before the Trial Court on each date fixed, either personally or as directed by the Court. In case of their absence, without sufficient cause, the Trial Court may proceed against them under Section 229-A of the Indian Penal Code.

(iv) In case the applicants misuse the liberty of bail during trial and in order to secure their presence, proclamation under Section 82 Cr.P.C. is issued and the applicants fail to appear before the Court on the date fixed in such proclamation then the Trial Court shall initiate proceedings against them in accordance with law under Section 174-A of the Indian Penal Code.

(v) The applicants shall remain present in person before the Trial Court on the dates fixed for (i) opening of the case, (ii) framing of charge and (iii) recording of statement under Section 313 Cr.P.C. If in the opinion of the Trial Court absence of the applicants are deliberate or without sufficient cause, then it shall be open for the Trial Court to treat such default as abuse of liberty of bail and proceed against them in accordance with law. In case, of breach of any of the above conditions, it shall be a ground for cancellation of bail. Identity and residence proof of the applicant and sureties be verified by the court concerned before the bonds are accepted. Order Date :- 7.12.2023 Rohit High Court of Judicature at Allahabad