BY AD vs B.PRAMOD

STATE OF KERALA REPRESENTED BY PUBLIC PROSECUTOR,HIGH COURT OF KERALA, PIN - 682031 THE STATION HOUSE OFFICER PALAI POLICE STATION, KOTTAYAM, PIN - 686575 PP-SEENA C THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON

08.04.2025, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING: BAIL APPL. NO.4525 OF 2025 2 P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN, J -------------------------------- B.A.No.4525 of 2025 ------------------------------- Dated this the 08th day of April, 2025 O R D E R This Bail Application is filed under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

2. Petitioner is an accused in Crime No.1915/2023 of Pala Police Station. The above case is registered against the petitioner alleging offences punishable under Sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

3. The prosecution case is that, accused obtained Rs.1 lakhs from the defacto complainant promising a job in the Middle East. But, the job is not provided and the amount is not returned.

4. Heard counsel for the petitioner and the Public Prosecutor.

5. The counsel for the petitioner submitted that, petitioner actually borrowed some amount from the defacto complainant and he was not able to repay the entire amount BAIL APPL. NO.4525 OF 2025 3 because of some financial problem. It is a false case foisted against the petitioner. It is also submitted that the petitioner is suffering from illness and the petitioner produced Annexures-A2 to A4.

6. Public Prosecutor opposed the bail application. He submitted that the petitioner is involved in yet another case also.

7. This Court considered the contentions of the petitioner and the Public Prosecutor. It is not clear whether a job visa can be provided by paying Rs.1 lakh. It seems that there is some financial dealing between the petitioner and the defacto complainant. Whether any criminal offence is made out is a matter to be investigated by the Investigating Officer. I do not want to make any observation about the same. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, I think, the petitioner can be released on bail after imposing stringent conditions.

8. Moreover, it is a well accepted principle that the bail is the rule and the jail is the exception. The Hon'ble BAIL APPL. NO.4525 OF 2025 4 Supreme Court in Chidambaram. P v Directorate of Enforcement [2019 (16) SCALE 870], after considering all the earlier judgments, observed that, the basic jurisprudence relating to bail remains the same inasmuch as the grant of bail is the rule and refusal is the exception so as to ensure that the accused has the opportunity of securing fair trial.

9. Recently the Apex Court in Siddharth v State of Uttar Pradesh and Another [2021(5)KHC 353] considered the point in detail. The relevant paragraph of the above judgment is extracted hereunder: “12. We may note that personal liberty is an important aspect of our constitutional mandate. The occasion to arrest an accused during investigation arises when custodial investigation becomes necessary or it is a heinous crime or where there is a possibility of influencing the witnesses or accused may abscond. Merely because an arrest can be made because it is lawful does not mandate that arrest must be made. A distinction must be made between the existence of the power to arrest and the justification for exercise of it. (Joginder Kumar v. State of UP and Others (1994 KHC 189: (1994) 4 SCC 260: 1994 (1) KLT 919: 1994 (2) KLJ 97: AIR 1994 SC 1349: 1994 CriLJ 1981)) If arrest is made routine, it can cause incalculable harm to the reputation and self-esteem of a person. If the Investigating BAIL APPL. NO.4525 OF 2025 5 Officer has no reason to believe that the accused will abscond or disobey summons and has, in fact, throughout cooperated with the investigation we fail to appreciate why there should be a compulsion on the officer to arrest the accused.”

10. In Manish Sisodia v. Central Bureau of Investigation [2023 KHC 6961], the Apex Court observed that even if the allegation is one of grave economic offence, it is not a rule that bail should be denied in every case. Considering the dictum laid down in the above decision and considering the facts and circumstances of this case, this Bail Application is allowed with the following directions:

1. The petitioner shall appear before the Investigating Officer within two weeks from today and shall undergo interrogation.

2. After interrogation, if the Investigating Officer propose to arrest the petitioner, he shall be released on bail on executing a bond for a sum of Rs.50,000/-(Rupees Fifty BAIL APPL. NO.4525 OF 2025 Thousand only) with two solvent sureties 6 each for the like sum to the satisfaction of the arresting officer concerned.

3. The petitioner shall appear before the Investigating Officer for interrogation as and when required. The petitioner shall co- operate with the investigation and 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.

4. Petitioner shall not leave India without permission of the jurisdictional Court.

5. Petitioner shall not commit an offence similar to the offence of which he is accused, or suspected, of the commission of which he is suspected. BAIL APPL. NO.4525 OF 2025

6. Needless to mention, it would be well 7 within the powers of the investigating officer to investigate the matter and, if necessary, to effect recoveries on the information, if any, given by the petitioner even while the petitioner is on bail as laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Sushila Aggarwal v. State (NCT of Delhi) and another [2020 (1) KHC 663].

7. The observations and findings in this order is only for the purpose of deciding this bail application. The principle laid down by this Court in Anzar Azeez v. State of Kerala [2025 SCC OnLine KER 1260] is applicable in this case also.

8. If any of the above conditions are violated by the petitioner, the jurisdictional Court can cancel the bail in accordance to law, even though the bail is granted by this BAIL APPL. NO.4525 OF 2025 Court. The prosecution and the victim are at 8 liberty to approach the jurisdictional Court to cancel the bail, if any of the above conditions are violated. Sd/- P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN, JUDGE SSG