Akhilesh G v. State of Kerala and Emperor Emmanuel Church

# **`IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM`** ## **`PRESENT`** ## **`THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE C.S.DIAS`** ``` WEDNESDAY, THE 31[ST] DAY OF JANUARY 2024 / 11TH MAGHA, 1945 ``` ``` BAIL APPL. NO. 3381 OF 2023 ``` ``` CRIME NO.175/2023 OF ALOOR POLICE STATION, Thrissur ``` ## **`PETITIONER/S:`** ``` AKHILESH. G,AGED 30 YEARS S/O GANESHAN. V, DEVASOMPUTHUVAL, PURAKKAD, ALAPPUZHA, PIN - 688 561 BY ADVS. M.SUNILKUMAR S.SANDEEP (S-3458) RAJEESH V.R. NIDHEESH P. RAKESH R. ``` ## **`RESPONDENT/S:`** ``` 1STATE OF KERALA,REPRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT OF KERALA, ERNAKULAM, PIN: 682 031 2EMPEROR EMMANUEL CHURCH, REP. BY ITS MANAGING TRUSTEE MR. BENOY MANDAPATHI (IMPLEADED AS ADDL R2)S/O MANUEL THOMAS, MANAGING TRUSTEE, EMPEROR MURIYAD CHURCH, BUILDING NO. VII/353, MURIYAD PANCHAYAT, MURIYAD VILLAGE, THRISSUR (IMPLEADED AS ADDL R2 AS PER ORDER DTD 31/1/24 IN CRL MA 1/23) BY ADVS. P.SANJAY BIJU MEENATTOOR INDIRA.K.P. PAUL VARGHESE (PALLATH) P.A.MOHAMMED ASLAM KIRAN NARAYANAN PRASOON SUNNY RAHUL RAJ P. AMRUTHA M. NAIR MUHAMMED BILAL.V.A A.PARVATHI MENON SMT.SEETHA.S, SENIOR GOVERNMENT PLEADER ``` ``` THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 31.01.2024, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING: ``` 2 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 ## **C.S.DIAS,J** **====================== Bail Application No.3381 of 2023** **-----------------------------------** **Dated this the 31[st] day of January, 2024** ## **O R D E R** The application is filed under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 _(‘Code’, for short),_ for an order of pre-arrest bail. 2. The petitioner is the second accused in Crime No.175/2023 of the Aloor Police Station, Thrissur, registered against the accused (two in number), for allegedly committing the offences punishable under Sections 153(B), 295(A), 298, 505 and 383 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, _(‘IPC’, for short)_ and Sec.66(F) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. 3 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 3. The gist of the prosecution case is that: the accused in furtherance of their common intention had published videos containing false imputation against a congregation, and caused disharmony amongst the members of the congregation and outraged the religious feelings of the members of the congregation. Thus, the accused have committed the above offences. 4. Heard; Sri. M.Sunil Kumar, the learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, Smt.Neema T.V, the learned Senior Public Prosecutor and Sri.P.Sanjay, the learned counsel appearing for the second respondent/defacto complainant. 5. The learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner is totally innocent of the accusations levelled against him. He has only published the interviews that were taken of the persons of the locality, who have spoken against the congregation. There is no contribution from the part of the petitioner. The petitioner does not have any criminal 4 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 antecedents. The petitioner is willing to abide by any stringent condition that may be imposed by this Court and also co-operate with the investigation. Hence, the application may be allowed. 6. The learned Public Prosecutor vehemently opposed the application. She submitted that the investigation is in progress. The Investigating Officer has contacted the YouTube channel to get the authentic details of the videos uploaded by the accused. The investigation is in progress and custodial interrogation of the petitioner is necessary. The petitioner is involved in another crime and recovery is to be effected. If the petitioner is let off on bail, it would hamper with the investigation. Hence, the application may be dismissed. 7. The learned counsel appearing for the second respondent submitted that the second respondent has filed a detailed counter affidavit. The petitioner has uploaded videos 5 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 containing absolutely distorted and false allegations against the congregation, which has caused disharmony amongst the members and have outraged the religious feelings of the members of the congregation. Thereby, the petitioner has committed the offences alleged against him. At any rate, the petitioner is not entitled to invoke the discretionary powers of this Court under Sec.438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 8. In **Siddharam Satlingappa Mhetre v. State of Maharashtra** [(2011) 1 SCC 694] the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held as follows: **111.** No inflexible guidelines or straitjacket formula can be provided for grant or refusal of anticipatory bail. We are clearly of the view that no attempt should be made to provide rigid and inflexible guidelines in this respect because all circumstances and situations of future cannot be clearly visualised for the grant or refusal of anticipatory bail. In consonance with the legislative intention the grant or refusal of anticipatory bail should necessarily depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. As aptly observed in the Constitution Bench decision in Sibbia case [(1980) 2 SCC 565 : 1980 SCC (Cri) 465] that the High Court or the Court of Session has to exercise their jurisdiction under Section 438 CrPC by a wise and careful use of their discretion which by their long training and experience they are ideally suited to do. In any event, this is the legislative mandate which we are bound to respect and honour. 6 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 **112** . The following factors and parameters can be taken into consideration while dealing with the anticipatory bail: (i) The nature and gravity of the accusation and the exact role of the accused must be properly comprehended before arrest is made; (ii) The antecedents of the applicant including the fact as to whether the accused has previously undergone imprisonment on conviction by a court in respect of any cognizable offence; (iii) The possibility of the applicant to flee from justice; (iv) The possibility of the accused's likelihood to repeat similar or other offences; (v) Where the accusations have been made only with the object of injuring or humiliating the applicant by arresting him or her; (vi) Impact of grant of anticipatory bail particularly in cases of large magnitude affecting a very large number of people; (vii) The courts must evaluate the entire available material against the accused very carefully. The court must also clearly comprehend the exact role of the accused in the case. The cases in which the accused is implicated with the help of Sections 34 and 149 of the Penal Code, 1860 the court should consider with even greater care and caution because overimplication in the cases is a matter of common knowledge and concern; (viii) While considering the prayer for grant of anticipatory bail, a balance has to be struck between two factors, namely, no prejudice should be caused to the free, fair and full investigation and there should be prevention of harassment, humiliation and unjustified detention of the accused; (ix) The court to consider reasonable apprehension of tampering of the witness or apprehension of threat to the complainant; (x) Frivolity in prosecution should always be considered and it is only the element of genuineness that shall have to be considered in the matter of grant of bail and in the event of there being some doubt as to the genuineness of the prosecution, in the normal course of events, the accused is entitled to an order of bail. **126** . We deem it appropriate to reiterate and assert that discretion vested in the court in all matters should be exercised with care and circumspection depending upon the facts and circumstances 7 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 justifying its exercise. Similarly, the discretion vested with the court under Section 438 CrPC should also be exercised with caution and prudence. It is unnecessary to travel beyond it and subject the wide power and discretion conferred by the legislature to a rigorous code of self-imposed limitations. 9. In **Jai Prakash Singh v. State of Bihar and another,** [(2012) 4 SCC 379] the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held that, an order of pre-arrest bail being an extra ordinary privilege, should be granted only in exceptional cases. The judicial discretion conferred upon the Courts has to be properly exercised, after proper application of mind, to decide whether it is a fit case to grant an order of pre-arrest bail. The court has to be prima facie satisfied that the applicant has been falsely enroped in the crime and his liberty is being misused. 10. After bestowing my anxious consideration to the materials placed on record, particularly taking note of the nature, gravity and seriousness of the offence alleged against the petitioner, that the custodial interrogation of the petitioner 8 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 is necessary and that the investigation in the case is at its nascent stage, I am of the definite view that the petitioner has not made out any exceptional ground to invoke the extra ordinary jurisdiction of this Court under Sec.438 of the Code. Therefore, I hold that this is not a fit case to grant an order of pre-arrest bail. Consequently, the bail application is dismissed. 11. Nonetheless, I direct that, if the petitioner surrenders before the Investigating Officer within 10 days from today, he shall be interrogated and, thereafter, be produced before the jurisdictional Court on the date of surrender itself. Then, if the petitioner moves an application for bail, the jurisdictional Court shall, untrammelled by any observations in this order, consider the bail on its merits and as application expeditiously as possible. If the petitioner does not surrender before the Investigating Officer as directed above, the 9 Bail Application No.3381 of 2023 Investigating Officer shall be free to arrest the petitioner as if no order has been passed in this case. SD/- Sks/31.1.2024 **C.S DIAS, JUDGE**