Tushar And 4 Others vs State Of U.P. And Another
2025 Latest Caselaw 4276 ALL

Allahabad High Court

Tushar And 4 Others vs State Of U.P. And Another on 7 August, 2025

Author: Vivek Varma

Bench: Vivek Varma

HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
 
 


?Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC:133460
 
Court No. - 69
 

 
Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. ANTICIPATORY BAIL APPLICATION U/S 482 BNSS No. - 6332 of 2025
 

 
Applicant :- Tushar And 4 Others
 
Opposite Party :- State of U.P. and Another
 
Counsel for Applicant :- Mohammad Waseem
 
Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A.
 

 
Hon'ble Vivek Varma,J.
 

1. Copy of the statement of the doctor produced by Sri V.P. Tripathi, learned A.G.A. for the State is taken on record.

2. Heard counsel for the applicants, Sri Neeraj Kumar Sharma, learned AGA for the State and perused the material available on record.

3. The present application has been filed with the prayer to grant anticipatory bail to the applicants in Case Crime No. 260 of 2024, under Sections 498A, 323, 506 of I.P.C. and Section 3/4 of Dowry Prohibition Act, Police Station- Civil Lines, District- Rampur.

4. Counsel for the applicants submits that the applicants have been falsely implicated in the present case. The applicant no. 1 is the nephew, the applicant no. 2 is sister-in-law, the applicant no. 3 is niece, the applicant no. 4 is brother-in-law and the applicant no. 5 is the mother-in-law of the informant-victim. The incident is alleged to have occurred on 08.01.2024. On 09.01.2024, the victim lodged an N.C.R. No. 0019 of 2024 under Sections 323, 504 I.P.C. against the applicant nos. 1 and 2 as well as her husband Sumit Saxena. In the said N.C.R., there are no allegations of any demand of dowry and indecent behaviour. The present first information report has been lodged on 27.05.2024. An exaggerated version has been narrated in the F.I.R. The inconsistencies in the earlier N.C.R. and the present first information report discredit the prosecution case. Further, the delay in lodging the F.I.R. is fatal to the prosecution case. The victim was examined on 09.01.2024. As per the statement of the doctor, the injured-informant sustained two injuries. The said injuries were simple in nature. It is contended that the victim was neither subjected to any cruelty nor any demand of dowry was raised. Investigation has been completed. Charge sheet has been submitted. The applicants had co-operated in the investigation. The applicants have been summoned by the concerned court. No custodial interrogation is required. Counsel for applicants further contends that the maximum sentence provided for the alleged offences is upto seven years. He submits that in view of the judgment of Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Satender Kumar Antil Vs. Central Bureau of Investigation and another, (2021) 10 SCC 773, the applicants are entitled to be enlarged on anticipatory bail. The applicants have no criminal antecedents. The applicants have apprehension of their arrest in the above mentioned case. In case, the applicants are granted anticipatory bail, they will not misuse the said liberty.

5. Learned A.G.A. has opposed the prayer for anticipatory bail but could not satisfactorily dispute the aforesaid submissions from the record.

6. The Supreme Court in the case of Satender Kumar Antil (supra) has laid down the guidelines with regard to enlargement of an accused on bail. The guidelines provided category/type of offences. One of the category being Category-A are offences punishable with imprisonment of seven years or less. The Supreme Court in paragraph-3 of the aforesaid judgment has laid down the guidelines that after the filing of the charge sheet/cognizance ordinary the summons are required to be issued permitting the appearance of the accused through Lawyer and the bail applications of the accused persons on appearance are to be decided without the accused being taken into custody or by granting interim bail. A perusal of the aforesaid guidelines would demonstrate that the liberty of an individual has been recognized by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the aforesaid judgment in term of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

7. It is further to be noted that as per Section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure also during investigation the liberty of an individual is protected in respect of an offence where the maximum punishment provided is upto seven years.

8. It is not the case of the opposite party that applicants were arrested for the alleged offences during investigation and it is also not the case of the opposite party that the applicants had not co-operated in the investigation. Once no apprehension has been raised with regard to the conduct of the applicants and the applicants have been charge-sheeted and summoned in respect of offence in which punishment provided is upto seven years, then in view of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Satender Kumar Antil (supra), the liberty of the individual is required to be protected.

9. It is not shown by learned AGA that the nature and gravity of allegations are such that the same would dis-entitle the applicants for relief of anticipatory bail. No material, facts, circumstances or concern been shown by learned AGA for the State that the accused may tamper with the evidence or witnesses or 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.

10. It is settled principle of law that the object of bail is to secure the attendance of the accused. No material particulars or circumstances suggestive of the applicants 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.

11. Having regard to the submissions made by counsel for the applicants, considering the nature of accusations, antecedents of the applicants and the fact that in the N.C.R. lodged by the victim on 09.01.2024, there are no allegations of any demand of dowry and indecent behaviour, the present F.I.R. has been lodged belatedly, the inconsistencies in the N.C.R. and the F.I.R. discredit the prosecution case, the fact that the offences against the applicants are punishable up to seven years and adhering to the guidelines provided in the judgment of the Supreme Court in Satender Kumar Antil (supra), charge-sheet has been filed, the applicants had cooperated in the investigation and no custodial interrogation is required, without commenting on merits of the case, I am of the opinion that the applicants are entitled to be enlarged on anticipatory bail.

12. In the event of arrest, the applicants Tushar, Smt Manju @ Neelam, Kumar Anchal, Ashok Bhatnagar and Smt. Mithlesh Kumari be released on anticipatory bail during pendency of trial, on furnishing a personal bond of Rs. 50,000/- with two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned with the following conditions:-

(i) the applicants shall make themselves available on each date fixed in the matter by the court concerned;

(ii) the applicants 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 from disclosing such facts to the Court;

(iii) the applicants shall not leave India without the previous permission of the Court and if they have passport the same shall be deposited by them before the concerned court.

13. In default of any of the conditions, the court concerned is at liberty to pass appropriate orders for enforcing and compelling the same.

14. The application stands disposed of.

Order Date :- 7.8.2025

Sachin Mishra