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Jermani Yadav vs State Of Bihar

Supreme Court2 September 2011R.M. Lodha · Aftab Alam

Ratio decidendi

The rule this decision rests on

A condition imposed by a court granting bail that an accused person shall be released only after completing the same period of custody as another co-accused is unreasonable and not sustainable in law, and should be set aside; a court must instead consider the merits of the bail application by reference to the personal circumstances of each accused, such as whether he was an absconder, and either reject the application on its own merits or consider measures for expeditious trial, but not impose conditions that effectively convert an apparent grant of bail into a continued detention dependent on satisfaction of conditions unrelated to the usual bail principles.

Written by Miss Lucy from the judgment below, not taken from a headnote.

Judgment

As delivered

REPORTABLEIN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIACRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CRIMINAL APPEAL NOS. 1725-1726 OF 2011(arising out of SLP (Crl.) Nos. 6734-6735 of 2011@ Crl.M.P. Nos. 17005-17006 of 2011)

JERMANI YADAV .....APPELLANT(S)

VERSUS

STATE OF BIHAR .....RESPONDENT(S)

O R D E R

Delay condoned.

Leave granted.

By the order of the High Court, the appellant has

been apparently granted bail. But in reality that is not

so, because the High Court put an extraordinary rider that

the appellant would come out only after remaining in jail

for the same period as another co-accused in the case,

namely Bipin Yadav. Consequently, the appellant must

remain in jail upto November 24, 2014.

According to the prosecution case, in revenge for

the killings of Shambhu Yadav and Jagdev Yadav, the

accused, including the present appellant, picked up one

Gorakh Yadav (a child aged about 10 years), who happened to

be the nephew of one of the accused who killed Shambhu

Yadav and Jagdev Yadav. The appellant and the other

accused in the case are alleged to have brought the child

to the spot where the bodies of their associates and

friends Shambhu Yadav and Jagdev Yadav were lying and

killed him there by gunshots.

The occurrence took place on December 08, 1999.

The appellant was taken in custody 10 years later on

November 24, 2009.

.....2/-

: 2 :

While pressing the bail application before the

High Court, it appears to have been submitted that another

co-accused in the case Bipin Yadav was released on bail.

It may be noted here that Bipin Yadav had surrendered on

August 16, 2002 and he was released on bail on March 15,

2007.

The High Court might have rejected the bail

application of the appellant on the ground that he was an

absconder for 10 years and his case was, therefore,

distinguishable from Bipin Yadav; or the High Court might

have taken steps for an expeditious conclusion of the

appellant's trial. Instead, the High Court adopted rather

a strange course and while directing the appellant to be

released on bail added the condition that he would be

enlarged on bail 'only after he completes life period of

custody as co-accused Bipin Yadav'. As noted above, before

being released on bail Bipin Yadav had remained in jail for

4 years 6 months and 28 days. Consequently, the appellant

may not be released before November 24, 2014.

We find the order of the High Court difficult to

sustain. We, accordingly, set aside the order and direct

the High Court to reconsider the appellant's application

for bail afresh and to pass appropriate orders in

accordance with law.

The criminal appeals are allowed in the aforesaid

terms.

..................J (AFTAB ALAM)

..................J (R.M. LODHA) NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 02, 2011.

ITEM NO.28 COURT NO.9 SECTION IIA

S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

Petition(s) for Special Leave to Appeal (Crl)... 2011 CRLMP.NO(s). 17005-17006

(From the judgement and order 02/07/2010 dated CRLM No. 22328/2010 and order dated 15/09/2010 in CRLM No. 33394/2010 of the HIGH COURT OF PATNA)

JERMANI YADAV Petitioner(s)

VERSUS

STATE OF BIHAR Respondent(s)

(With appln(s) for c/delay in filing SLP and office report)

Date: 02/09/2011 These Petitions were called on for hearing today.

CORAM :

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AFTAB ALAM HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE R.M. LODHA

For Petitioner(s) Mr. Kundan Kumar Mishra, Adv. Mr. Anil Kr. Mishra, Adv. Mr. Rakesh Malviya, Adv.

For Respondent(s)

UPON hearing counsel the Court made the following O R D E R

Delay condoned.

Leave granted.

The criminal appeals are allowed.

(N.S.K. Kamesh) (S.S.R. Krishna) Court Master Court Master

(signed reportable order is placed on the file)

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