Ansu K. H v. State of Kerala

BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 1 2025:KER:32092 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** **IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM** ## **PRESENT** **THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN** **FRIDAY, THE 11[TH] DAY OF APRIL 2025 / 21ST CHAITHRA, 1947** **BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025** **CRIME NO.211/2025 OF Perumpetty Police Station, Pathanamthitta AGAINST THE ORDER/JUDGMENT DATED IN Bail Appl. NO.4079 OF 2025 OF HIGH COURT OF KERALA** ## **PETITIONER/S:** **ANSU K. H AGED 52 YEARS S/O. LATE HAMEED RAWTHER, KUNNUMPURATH VEEDU, VAIPUR.P.O., KOTTANGAL, PATHANAMTHITTA DISTRICT, PIN, PIN - 689588** **BY ADVS. V.PHILIP MATHEWS ASHISH MATHEW JOHN ABY SKARIA LAKSHMI S.** ## **RESPONDENT/S:** **STATE OF KERALA REPRESENTED BY PUBLIC PROSECUTOR,HIGH COURT OF KERALA, PIN - 682031** **THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 11.04.2025, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:** BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 2 2025:KER:32092 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** ## **P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN, J** **–-------------------------------------** **B.A. No. 4950 of 2025 -------------------------------------Dated this the 11[th] day of April, 2025** ## **O R D E R** This Bail Application is filed under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. 2. The petitioner is an accused in Crime No.211/2025 of Perumpetty Police Station. The above case is registered against the petitioner alleging offences punishable under Secs. 420, 406 IPC. 3. The prosecution case is that the accused cheated and caused undue loss to the defacto complainant and his friend Arun by not paying the price of the JCB that was in the possession of the defacto complainant. The allegation is that the petitioner has taken the JCB into possession after BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 3 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** 2025:KER:32092 paying an initial amount and promising to pay the balance amount as EMI to the financier but has not paid, thus causing a loss of Rs.14,00,000/- to the complainant. 4. Heard counsel for the petitioner and the Public Prosecutor. 5. It seems that the dispute is regarding the sale of a JCB. It is an admitted fact that some amount is paid and the balance amount is not paid, is the grievance of the defacto complainant. Whether any criminal offence is made out in such situation, is a matter to be investigated. I do not want to make any observation about the same. Considering the facts and circumstances of this case, I think the petitioner can be released on bail after imposing stringent conditions. 6. Moreover, it is a well accepted principle that the bail is the rule and the jail is the exception. The Hon'ble Supreme Court in **Chidambaram. P v Directorate of Enforcement [2019 (16) SCALE 870],** after considering all the earlier judgments, observed that, the basic jurisprudence BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 4 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** 2025:KER:32092 relating to bail remains the same inasmuch as the grant of bail is the rule and refusal is the exception so as to ensure that the accused has the opportunity of securing fair trial. 7. Recently the Apex Court in **Siddharth v State of Uttar Pradesh and Another [2021(5)KHC 353]** considered the point in detail. The relevant paragraph of the above judgment is extracted hereunder. “12. We may note that personal liberty is an important aspect of our constitutional mandate. The occasion to arrest an accused during investigation arises when custodial investigation becomes necessary or it is a heinous crime or where there is a possibility of influencing the witnesses or accused may abscond. Merely because an arrest can be made because it is lawful does not mandate that arrest must be made. A distinction must be made between the existence of the power to arrest and the justification for exercise of it. (Joginder Kumar v. State of UP and Others (1994 KHC 189: (1994) 4 SCC 260: 1994 (1) KLT 919: 1994 (2) KLJ 97: AIR 1994 SC 1349: 1994 CriLJ 1981)) If arrest is made routine, it can cause incalculable harm to the reputation and selfesteem of a person. If the Investigating Officer has no reason to believe that the accused will abscond or disobey summons and has, in fact, throughout cooperated with the investigation we fail to appreciate why there should be a BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 5 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** 2025:KER:32092 compulsion on the officer to arrest the accused.” 8. In **Manish Sisodia v. Central Bureau of Investigation [2023 KHC 6961]** , the Apex Court observed that even if the allegation is one of grave economic offence, it is not a rule that bail should be denied in every case. 9. Considering the dictum laid down in the above decision and considering the facts and circumstances of this case, this Bail Application is allowed with the following directions: 1. The petitioner shall appear before the Investigating Officer within two weeks from today and shall undergo interrogation. 2. After interrogation, if the Investigating Officer propose to arrest the petitioner, she shall be released on bail on executing a bond for a sum of Rs.50,000/- BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 6 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** 2025:KER:32092 (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) with two solvent sureties each for the like sum to the satisfaction of the arresting officer concerned. 3. The petitioner shall appear before the Investigating Officer for interrogation as and when required. The petitioner shall co-operate with the investigation and shall not, directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him/her from disclosing such facts to the Court or to any police officer. 4. Petitioner shall not leave India without permission of the jurisdictional Court. 5. Petitioner shall not commit BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 7 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** 2025:KER:32092 an offence similar to the offence of which she is accused, or suspected, of the commission of which she is suspected. 6. Needless to mention, it would be well within the powers of the investigating officer to investigate the matter and, if necessary, to effect recoveries on the information, if any, given by the petitioner even while the petitioner is on bail as laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in **Sushila Aggarwal v. State (NCT of Delhi) and another** [2020 (1) KHC 663]. 7. The observations and findings in this order is only for the purpose of deciding this bail application. The principle laid down by this Court in **Anzar Azeez v. State of Kerala** [2025 SCC OnLine KER 1260] is applicable in this case also. BAIL APPL. NO. 4950 OF 2025 8 **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** 2025:KER:32092 8. If any of the above conditions are violated by the petitioner, the jurisdictional Court can cancel the bail in accordance to law, even though the bail is granted by this Court. The prosecution and the victim are at liberty to approach the jurisdictional Court to cancel the bail, if any of the above conditions are violated. **Sd/P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN JUDGE** SKS