[Cites 2, Cited by 0]

Kerala High Court

Nandakumari vs State Of Kerala on 24 February, 2026

Author: Kauser Edappagath

Bench: Kauser Edappagath

                                                       2026:KER:16381




             IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

                               PRESENT

        THE HONOURABLE DR. JUSTICE KAUSER EDAPPAGATH

 TUESDAY, THE 24TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026 / 5TH PHALGUNA, 1947

                   BAIL APPL. NO. 13386 OF 2025

  CRIME NO.1291/2025 OF TOWN EAST POLICE STATION, THRISSUR

PETITIONER/ACCUSED NO.6:

            NANDAKUMARI
            AGED 63 YEARS
            W/O. RAJAN A, AMBATTU HOUSE, KEERTHI NAGAR,
            AYYANTHOLE P. OTHRISSUR -, PIN - 682031.

            BY ADVS.
            SHRI.N.U.HARIKRISHNA
            SRI.MITHUN BABY JOHN
RESPONDENT/STATE:

            STATE OF KERALA,
            REPRESENTED BY PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT OF
            KERALA, ERNAKULAM, PIN - 682031.

            SRI.K.A. NOUSHAD, SR. PP


     THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON
24.02.2026, ALONG WITH Bail Appl..13380/2025, 13385/2025 AND
CONNECTED    CASES,   THE   COURT   ON   THE   SAME   DAY   PASSED   THE
FOLLOWING:
 B.A.Nos.13386/2025
& connected cases                  2



                                                    2026:KER:16381



             IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

                               PRESENT

          THE HONOURABLE DR. JUSTICE KAUSER EDAPPAGATH

 TUESDAY, THE 24TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026 / 5TH PHALGUNA, 1947

                     BAIL APPL. NO. 13380 OF 2025

  CRIME NO.1284/2025 OF TOWN EAST POLICE STATION, THRISSUR

PETITIONER/ACCUSED NO.6:

            NANDAKUMARI
            AGED 63 YEARS
            W/O. RAJAN A, AMBATTU HOUSE, KEERTHI NAGAR
            AYYANTHOLE P. O., THRISSUR ., PIN - 680003.

            BY ADVS.
            SRI.MITHUN BABY JOHN
            SHRI.N.U.HARIKRISHNA
RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/STATE:

            STATE OF KERALA
            REPRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT
            OF KERALA, ERNAKULAM., PIN - 682031.

            SMT.SREEJA V., SR. PP


      THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON
24.02.2026, ALONG WITH Bail Appl..13386/2025 AND CONNECTED
CASES, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY PASSED THE FOLLOWING:
 B.A.Nos.13386/2025
& connected cases                  3



                                                    2026:KER:16381



             IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

                               PRESENT

          THE HONOURABLE DR. JUSTICE KAUSER EDAPPAGATH

 TUESDAY, THE 24TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026 / 5TH PHALGUNA, 1947

                     BAIL APPL. NO. 13385 OF 2025

  CRIME NO.1283/2025 OF TOWN EAST POLICE STATION, THRISSUR

PETITIONER/ACCUSED NO.6:

            NANDAKUMARI
            AGED 63 YEARS
            W/O. RAJAN A, AMBATTU HOUSE, KEERTHI NAGAR,
            AYYANTHOLE P. O., THRISSUR, PIN - 680003.

            BY ADVS.
            SHRI.N.U.HARIKRISHNA
            SRI.MITHUN BABY JOHN
RESPONDENT:

            STATE OF KERALA
            REPRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT
            OF KERALA, ERNAKULAM., PIN - 682031.

            SRI.K.A. NOUSHAD, SR. PP


      THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON
24.02.2026, ALONG WITH Bail Appl..13386/2025 AND CONNECTED
CASES, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY PASSED THE FOLLOWING:
 B.A.Nos.13386/2025
& connected cases                  4



                                                    2026:KER:16381



             IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

                               PRESENT

          THE HONOURABLE DR. JUSTICE KAUSER EDAPPAGATH

 TUESDAY, THE 24TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026 / 5TH PHALGUNA, 1947

                     BAIL APPL. NO. 13394 OF 2025

  CRIME NO.1242/2025 OF TOWN EAST POLICE STATION, THRISSUR

PETITIONER/ACCUSED NO.4:

            NANDAKUMARI
            AGED 63 YEARS
            W/O. RAJAN A, AMBATTU HOUSE, KEERTHI NAGAR,
            AYYANTHOLE P. O THRISSUR, PIN - 680003.

            BY ADVS.
            SRI.MITHUN BABY JOHN
            SHRI.N.U.HARIKRISHNA
RESPONDENT/STATE:

            STATE OF KERALA
            REPRESENTED BY PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT OF
            KERALA, ERNAKULAM, PIN - 682031.

            SRI.M.C. ASHI, SR. PP


      THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON
24.02.2026, ALONG WITH Bail Appl..13386/2025 AND CONNECTED
CASES, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY PASSED THE FOLLOWING:
 B.A.Nos.13386/2025
& connected cases                  5



                                                    2026:KER:16381



             IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

                               PRESENT

          THE HONOURABLE DR. JUSTICE KAUSER EDAPPAGATH

 TUESDAY, THE 24TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026 / 5TH PHALGUNA, 1947

                     BAIL APPL. NO. 13397 OF 2025

  CRIME NO.1285/2025 OF TOWN EAST POLICE STATION, THRISSUR

PETITIONER/ACCUSED NO.6:

            NANDAKUMARI,
            AGED 63 YEARS
            W/O. RAJAN A, AMBATTU HOUSE, KEERTHI NAGARM,
            AYYANTHOLE P. O THRISSUR, PIN - 680003.

            BY ADVS.
            SRI.MITHUN BABY JOHN
            SHRI.N.U.HARIKRISHNA
RESPONDENT/STATE:

            STATE OF KERALA,
            REPRESENTED BY PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT OF
            KERALA, ERNAKULAM, PIN - 682031.

            SRI.K.A. NOUSHAD, SR. PP


      THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON
24.02.2026, ALONG WITH Bail Appl..13386/2025 AND CONNECTED
CASES, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY PASSED THE FOLLOWING:
 B.A.Nos.13386/2025
& connected cases                   6



                                                     2026:KER:16381


                               ORDER

[Bail Appl. Nos.13386/2025, 13380/2025, 13385/2025,

13394/2025, 13397/2025]

These applications are filed under Section 482 of the

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short, BNSS),

seeking pre-arrest bail. All these bail applications are connected.

2. The applicant is the accused No.4 in B.A.

No.13394 of 2025 and accused No.6 in the remaining cases. The

bail application No. 13386 of 2025 pertains to Crime

No.1291/2025, the bail application No. 13380 of 2025 pertains to

Crime No. 1284/2025, the bail application No. 13385 of 2025

pertains to Crime No. 1283/2025, the bail application No. 13394 of

2025 pertains to Crime No. 1242/2025, and the bail application

No. 13397 of 2025 pertains to Crime No. 1285/2025, all of which

are registered at Town East Police Station, Thrissur District. The

offences alleged are punishable under Sections 406 and 420 r/w

Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

3. The applicant was the internal auditor of the

State Bank of India Staff Co-operative Society Ltd. till 2016. The

common allegation in all the cases is that the applicant, along

with the other accused, who are staff members, office bearers,

2026:KER:16381

and board members of the society, fraudulently induced the

respective de facto complainants to invest money in the society

by promising lucrative interest and then cheated them by failing

to return the principal amount with the promised interest on

maturity, and thereby committed the offences.

4. I have heard Sri.Mithun Baby John, the learned

counsel for the applicant and Sri.K.A.Noushad, Sri.M.C. Ashi and

Smt.Sreeja V., the learned Senior Public Prosecutors. Perused the

case diary.

5. The learned counsel for the applicant submitted

that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in

the above crime. The counsel further submitted that no materials

are on record to connect the applicant with the alleged crime;

hence, she is entitled to bail. The learned Public Prosecutor, on

the other hand, submitted that the alleged incident occurred as

part of the applicant's intentional criminal acts, and if she is

released on bail at this stage, it will affect the course of the

investigation.

6. The applicant is only an internal auditor of the

Society. Admittedly, she worked as auditor only till 2016. The

deposits made by the de facto complainants in all the crimes are

after 2016. It is true that, as per the report submitted under

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Section 68(2) of the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act, the liability

of the applicant is fixed at Rs. 1,06,65,410/-. For the said reason

alone, it cannot be said that the applicant has a connection with

the crime. There is no allegation that the applicant personally

induced the de facto complainants to part with the money. There

cannot be any entrustment with the applicant also, inasmuch as

she retired in the year 2016. Considering the allegations made

against the applicant, her custodial interrogation seems

unnecessary. For these reasons, I find this to be an appropriate

case to grant pre-arrest bail to the applicant.

In the result, the application is allowed on the following

conditions:-

(i) The applicant shall be released on bail in the

event of her arrest on executing a bond for Rs.1,00,000/- (Rupees

One lakh only) in each case with two solvent sureties for the like

sum each to the satisfaction of the arresting officer/investigating

officer, as the case may be.

(ii) The applicant shall fully cooperate with the

investigation, including subjecting herself to the deemed police

custody for discovery, if any, as and when demanded.

(iii) The applicant shall appear before the

investigating officer between 10.00 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. every

2026:KER:16381

Saturday until further orders. She shall also appear before the

investigating officer as and when required.

(iv) The applicant shall not commit any offence of a

like nature while on bail.

(v) The applicant shall not attempt to contact any of

the prosecution witnesses, directly or through any other person,

or in any other way try to tamper with the evidence or influence

any witnesses or other persons related to the investigation.

(vi) The applicant shall not leave the State of Kerala

without the permission of the trial Court.

(vii) The application, if any, for deletion/modification of

bail conditions or cancellation of bail on the grounds of violating

the bail conditions shall be filed at the jurisdictional court.

Sd/-

DR. KAUSER EDAPPAGATH JUDGE

mea

2026:KER:16381

APPENDIX OF BAIL APPL. NO. 13386 OF 2025

PETITIONER ANNEXURES

Annexure A-1. A TRUE COPY OF THE ORDER DATED 15/10/2025 IN CRL.M.C 1234 OF 2025 ON THE FILES OF HON'BLE SESSION COURT, THRISSUR

2026:KER:16381

APPENDIX OF BAIL APPL. NO. 13380 OF 2025

PETITIONER ANNEXURES

Annexure A-1 A TRUE COPY OF THE ORDER DATED 15/10/2025 IN CRL.M.C 1231 OF 2025 ON THE FILES OF HON'BLE SESSION COURT, THRISSUR

2026:KER:16381