Gujarat High Court
Maulik Bhupinbhai Patel vs State Of Gujarat on 27 June, 2024
NEUTRAL CITATION
R/CR.MA/11573/2024 ORDER DATED: 27/06/2024
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IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
R/CRIMINAL MISC.APPLICATION (FOR ANTICIPATORY BAIL) NO. 11573
of 2024
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MAULIK BHUPINBHAI PATEL
Versus
STATE OF GUJARAT
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Appearance:
MR PRATIK B BAROT(3711) for the Applicant(s) No. 1
MR HARDIK SONI, APP for the Respondent(s) No. 1
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CORAM:HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE M. R. MENGDEY
Date : 27/06/2024
ORAL ORDER
1. RULE. Learned APP waives service of rule for the
respondent-State.
2. By way of the present application under Section 438 of
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the applicant-accused
has prayed for enlarging the applicant on anticipatory bail in
connection with the F I R be i ng C . R . N O . 4 of 2024
registered with Rajpipla A.C.B. Police
Station, Narmada .
3. Heard learned advocate for the applicant and learned
APP for the respondent - State.
4. Learned advocate for the applicant has submitted that
the applicant is apprehending arrest in connection the aforesaid
FIR and in this connection the earlier application filed by the
applicant before the learned Sessions Court came to be dis-
allowed.
5. Learned Additional Public Prosecutor appearing on
behalf of the respondent - State has opposed grant of
NEUTRAL CITATION
R/CR.MA/11573/2024 ORDER DATED: 27/06/2024
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anticipatory bail, inter alia, contending that the present
applicant was very much aware as to what was there in parcel
and despite the said knowledge, he had insisted the employee
of the hotel to accept the said parcel from the first informant.
Thus, the present applicant had played an active role in
commission of offence in question. He, therefore, submitted to
dismiss the present application.
6. Heard learned Advocates for the parties and perused the
material available on record. It is an admitted position that the
present applicant is not a public servant. Neither there is any
demand of illegal gratification raised by the present applicant nor
there is any acceptance of any such amount by the present
applicant. The role attributed to the present applicant is to the
effect that he had instructed the staff of the hotel to accept the
parcel from the first informant. Except this, no other overt act has
been attributed to the present applicant.
7. This Court has considered following aspects,
(a) as per catena of decisions of Hon'ble Supreme
Court there are mainly two factors which are required to be
considered by this court;
(i) prima facie case
(ii) requirement of accused for custodial interrogation.
Therefore, in the facts and circumstances of the
present case, this court is inclined to consider the case of the
applicant.
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R/CR.MA/11573/2024 ORDER DATED: 27/06/2024
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8. This Court has also taken into consideration the law
laid down by the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Siddharam
Satlingappa Mhetre Vs. State of Maharashtra and Ors.,
reported at [2011] 1 SCC 694, wherein the Hon'ble Apex Court
reiterated the law laid down by the Constitution Bench in the
case of Shri Gurubaksh Singh Sibbia & Ors. Vs. State of
Punjab, reported at (1980) 2 SCC 565. Further, this Court has
also taken into consideration the ratio laid down in the case of
Sushila Aggarwal and Ors. v. State (NCT of Delhi) and Anr. in
Special Leave Petition No. 7281-7282/2017 dated
29.01.2020.
8.1 This court has also considered the judgment in the
case of Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar reported in (2014) 8
SCC 273, wherein the Hon'ble Apex Court has observe that
whenever there is punishment of 7 years, then the court would
be liberal to exercise the discretion. Further, by exercising the
discretion under Section 438 Cr.P.C, the doors of remand by the
Investigating Officer is open and therefore also this court is
inclined to exercise powers under Section 438 of Cr.P.C.
9. In the result, the present application is allowed. The
applicant is ordered to be released on anticipatory bail in the
event of arrest in connection with a F I R be i ng C . R . N O . 4 o f
2024 registered with Rajpipla A.C.B. Police
Station, Narmada on executing a personal bond of
Rs.10,000/- (Rupees Ten Thousand Only) with one surety of like
amount on the following conditions;
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R/CR.MA/11573/2024 ORDER DATED: 27/06/2024
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(a) shall cooperate with the investigation and make
available for interrogation whenever required;
(b) shall remain present at concerned Police Station on
0 1 . 0 7 . 2 0 2 4 between 12.00 Noon and 2.00 p.m.;
(c) shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement,
threat or promise to any person acquainted with the fact of the
case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the
court or to any police officer;
(d) shall not obstruct or hamper the police investigation and
not to play mischief with the evidence collected or yet to be
collected by the police;
(e) shall at the time of execution of bond, furnish the address
to the investigating officer and the court concerned and shall not
change residence till the final disposal of the case till further
orders;
(f) shall not leave India without the permission of the concerned
trial court and if having passport shall deposit the same before
the concerned trial court within a week; and
10. At the trial, the concerned trial court shall not be
influenced by the prima facie observations made by this Court in
the present order.
11. Rule is made absolute to the aforesaid extent.
Direct service is permitted.
(M. R. MENGDEY,J)
GIRISH
