[Cites 6, Cited by 0]

Rajasthan High Court - Jodhpur

Gurjent Singh Alias Janta vs State Of Rajasthan on 8 April, 2026

Author: Farjand Ali

Bench: Farjand Ali

        HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT
                         JODHPUR
     S.B. Criminal Suspension of Sentence Application No.632/2026

                                          in

                  S.B. Criminal Appeal (Sb) No. 660/2026

 Gurjent Singh Alias Janta S/o Sh Sarjeet Singh, Aged About 31
 Years, R/o Fatehpur Ps Sangaria Dist Hanumangarh Now
 Presently Lodged In Central Jail- Hanumangarh.
                                                                        ----Appellant
                                      Versus
 State Of Rajasthan, Through Pp
                                                                     ----Respondent


For Appellant(s)             :    Mr. VK Bhadu
                                  Mr. Vikas Bishnoi
For Respondent(s)            :    Mr. Surendra Bishnoi, PP



                  HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE FARJAND ALI

Order

08/04/2026

1. The instant application for suspension of sentence has been

moved on behalf of the applicant in the matter of judgment

dated 02.04.2026 passed by the learned Addl. District &

Session Judge (NDPS Cases) Sangaria, District

Hanumangarh in Crl. Sessions Case No.19/2020 whereby he

was convicted and sentenced to suffer maximum

imprisonment of 1 year and 2 month under Sections 8/15 of

NDPS Act along with fine and default sentence.

2. It is contended by the learned counsel for the appellant that

the learned trial Judge has not appreciated the correct, legal

and factual aspects of the matter and thus, reached at an

erroneous conclusion of guilt, therefore, the same is required

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to be appreciated again by this court being the first appellate

Court.

3. Per contra, learned public prosecutor has vehemently

opposed the prayer made by learned counsel for the

accused-applicant for releasing the appellant on application

for suspension of sentence.

4. Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the

material available on record.

5. There exists a fine yet significant distinction between the

grant of bail under Section 439 of the Code of Criminal

Procedure, 1973, and the suspension of sentence under

Section 389 Cr.P.C. While the power exercised under Section

439 CrPC is essentially discretionary in nature and operates

at the pre-conviction stage, the jurisdiction under Section

389 Cr.P.C, though also discretionary, is qualitatively

different and operates post-conviction. Under Section 389

CrPC, the appellate court is vested with a distinct authority;

however, the core consideration before the appellate forum

must necessarily be whether the judgment of conviction and

the consequent order of sentence are sustainable in the eyes

of law.

6. It is trite that the presumption of innocence, which ensures

in favour of an accused, comes to an end upon conviction.

Consequently, while considering an application under Section

389 CrPC, the appellate court is required to examine the

grounds raised in the appeal, and for such purpose, the oral

and documentary evidence must be looked into. Where,

upon appreciation of evidence, it appears that the

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conclusions drawn by the trial court may be erroneous, and

where logical, legal and sustainable arguments are advanced

assailing the findings, disclosing a strong and arguable case,

the appellate court is duty-bound to consider such

contentions.

7. Where the sustainability of the conviction itself becomes

debatable, and where the grounds raised in appeal, if

adjudicated in favour of the appellant, disclose a real and

substantial possibility of success, and where, prima facie, it

appears that the conviction may be reversed and the

appellant may be acquitted, the appellate court ought to

suspend the sentence pending disposal of the appeal.

8. Such discretion deserves to be exercised with greater

circumspection in cases where the appellate forum has

sufficient reason to believe that the appeal is not likely to be

taken up for hearing in the near future. In such

circumstances, the court is required to assess whether the

grounds raised are not merely ornamental but possess real

substance and force, for the simple reason that if the appeal

ultimately succeeds, the period of incarceration already

undergone cannot be undone or restituted. In such a

situation, the court should incline towards suspending the

sentence.

9. At the same time, it is well settled that the appellate court is

not required to record any definitive or conclusive finding, as

doing so would amount to forming a pre-determined opinion

on the merits of the appeal at an initial stage, without

affording a full hearing on the appeal itself. It is sufficient if

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the court merely indicates that the grounds raised are prima

facie appreciable, logical and legally tenable, that he are

founded upon settled principles of law, and that there

appears to be improper evaluation or assessment of

evidence, or non-consideration / disregard of relevant

statutory provisions.

10. It is also to be borne in mind that in several cases, the

conviction may ultimately be converted to a lesser offence,

or the propriety of the sentence imposed by the trial court,

being within its discretionary domain may also require

reconsideration, particularly whether an adequate and

proportionate sentence was imposed after due hearing on

the point of sentence. These aspects, too, are open to re-

examination at the appellate stage.

11. An appeal, in its true sense, is an extension of the trial, for

the reason that additional evidence may be taken, and the

entire body of evidence is subject to re-appreciation on both

factual and legal parameters. At this stage, the appellate

court is empowasd to set aside the conviction, modify it,

remand the matter, or maintain the judgment, as the case

may be.

12. In the High Court, thousands of criminal appeals have

remained pending for the last 20-30 years, including jail

appeals, where even the likelihood of early hearing does not

appear forthcoming. In such matters, instead of taking an

irreversible risk, the court must proceed on the safer side by

placing paramount importance on human dignity and

personal liberty.

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13. In the present case, the recovered contraband is below

commercial quantity. There is submission regarding non-

compliance of the mandatory provisions of the NDPS Act.

The sentence awarded to the appellant is of a comparatively

shorter duration. The embargo contained under Section 37

of NDPS Act would not come in way of granting bail to the

appellant. All the issues raised are vital in nature and carry

sufficient force and substance, such that if they are

adjudicated in favour of the appellant, the possibility of

acquittal cannot be ruled out. The grounds raised are

appreciable and necessitate definitive adjudication, which

would require meticulous examination and re-appreciation of

evidence, and there exists a reasonable possibility that such

exercise may ultimately enure to the benefit of the

appellant.

14. Accordingly, the application for suspension of sentence filed

under Section 389 Cr.P.C. is allowed and it is ordered that

the sentence passed by learned trial court, the details of

which are provided in the first para of this order, against the

appellant-applicant named above shall remain suspended till

final disposal of the aforesaid appeal and he shall be

released on bail provided he executes a personal bond in the

sum of Rs.50,000/-with two sureties of Rs.25,000/- each to

the satisfaction of the learned trial Judge and whenever

ordered to do so till the disposal of the appeal on the

conditions indicated below:-

1. That he will appear before the trial Court in the month of January of every year till the appeal is decided.

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2. That if the applicant change the place of residence, he will give in writing their changed address to the trial Court as well as to the counsel in the High Court.

3. Similarly, if the sureties change their address(s), he will give in writing their changed address to the trial Court.

15. The learned trial Court shall keep the record of attendance of

the accused-applicant in a separate file. Such file be

registered as Criminal Misc. Case related to original case in

which the accused-applicant was tried and convicted. A copy

of this order shall also be placed in that file for ready

reference. Criminal Misc. file shall not be taken into account

for statistical purpose relating to pendency and disposal of

cases in the trial court. In case the said accused applicant do

not appear before the trial court, the learned trial Judge shall

report the matter to the High Court for cancellation of bail.

(FARJAND ALI),J 10-chhavi/-