Recently, the Apex Court expounded that, "A court can reject anticipatory bail of an accused, but it has no jurisdiction to direct him to surrender before the trial court".
Supreme Court Bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation while hearing a plea filed by a man accused of cheating and forgery.
SC Bench stated that,“If the court wants to reject the anticipatory bail, it may do so, but the court has no jurisdiction to say that the petitioner should now surrender”.
The Jharkhand High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the accused and asked him to surrender and seek regular bail.
In this case, a complaint had been filed before a magistrate alleging offences under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document) and 120B read with 34 of the IPC, in connection with a land dispute.
High Court had dismissed the second anticipatory bail application of the accused on the ground that no new circumstances were shown.
SC Bench stated that said such a direction was wholly without jurisdiction and said that if a court chooses to reject anticipatory bail, it may do so, but it cannot compel the accused to surrender.
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