Madhya Pradesh High Court
Moorat Singh Gond vs The State Of Madhya Pradesh on 13 October, 2025
1 CRA-6186-2021
IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH
AT JABALPUR
CRA No. 6186 of 2021
(MOORAT SINGH GOND AND OTHERS Vs THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS )
Dated : 13-10-2025
Shri Vineet Mishra - Advocate for appellant No.2.
Shri Siddharth Datt - Advocate for appellant No.4.
Shri Amit Pandey - Govt. Advocate for respondent No.1/State.
Heard on I.A. No.19101/2025, first application for suspension of
sentence and grant of bail filed on behalf of appellant No.2-Ramesh Singh
Rathore.
Also heard on I.A. No.21471/2025, first application for suspension of
sentence and grant of bail filed on behalf of appellant No.4-Dashrath Singh
Gond.
This appeal has been preferred against the judgment dated 12.10.2021
passed in Spl. Case (ATR) No.200023/2014 by the Special Judge (SC/ST
Act) Panna whereby appellants No.2 and 4 have been convicted for offence
under Section 147 IPC and sentenced to undergo R.I. for 06 months with fine
of Rs.500/-; u/S 148 IPC & sentenced to undergo R.I. for 01 year with fine
of Rs.500/-; u/S 323 r/w 149 IPC & sentenced to undergo R.I. for 06 months
with fine of Rs.500/-; u/S 364 r/w 149 IPC (two counts) & sentenced to
undergo 10 years' RI on each count and fine of Rs.1000/- each; u/S 302 r/w
149 IPC & sentenced to Life Imprisonment with fine of Rs.1000/- and u/S
201 IPC & sentenced to undergo 03 years' RI with fine of Rs.1000/-. In
addition, appellant No.2-Ramesh Singh Rathore has been convicted for the
2 CRA-6186-2021
offence u/S 3(2)(v) of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 ((on two
counts) & sentenced to Life Imprisonment on each count and fine of
Rs.1000/- (each count) with default stipulations.
Learned counsel for the respective appellants submit that appellants
No.2 and 4 are innocent and have been falsely implicated in the case. It is
further submitted that similarly placed co-accused namely Doodhpal Singh
Yadav, who is also the accused in the present case, has already been granted
bail by the coordinate Bench of this Court vide order dated 29.07.2025. It is
further submitted that as per the prosecution case, the allegation against
appellants No. 2 and 4 are similar to that of the co-accused and, therefore,
appellants No. 2 and 4 seek parity with the co-accused Doodhpal Singh
Yadav. This appeal is of the year 2021 and there is no possibility of early
hearing of the appeal in near future. The appellants are ready to furnish
adequate surety and shall abide by the directions and conditions, which may
be imposed by this Court. Hence, it is prayed that the applications for
suspension of sentence may be allowed on the ground of parity.
Learned counsel for the State, on the other hand, has opposed the
applications for suspension of sentence and grant of bail.
Heard the learned counsel for the parties and perused the record.
Considering the arguments advanced by learned counsel for the parties
coupled with the fact that custodial sentence of similarly placed co-accused
Doodhpal Singh Yadav has already been suspended by this Court vide order
dated 29.07.2025, we are of the opinion that the applications for suspension
of sentence and grant of bail to appellants No. 2 and 4 can be considered.
3 CRA-6186-2021
Accordingly, without commenting anything on the merits of the
case, I.A. No.19101/2025 and I.A. No.21471/2025 are allowed.
It is directed that subject to depositing the fine amount, if not already
deposited, the remaining jail sentences of appellants No. 2 and 4 namely
Ramesh Singh Rathore and Dashrath Singh Gond respectively are hereby
suspended and they be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond in the
sum of Rs.50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) each with one solvent
surety of the like amount each to the satisfaction of the trial Court with a
further direction to appear before the Registry of this Court on
29.01.2026 and on such other dates, as may be fixed by the Registry in this
regard during pendency of this appeal.
List the matter for final hearing in due course along with CRA No.
6198 of 2021.
(VIVEK KUMAR SINGH) (AJAY KUMAR NIRANKARI)
JUDGE JUDGE
VV
