High Court of KeralaSingle JudgeBail Granted

Muhammed Nayaz v. State of Kerala

Case / Petition Number:BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025
Neutral Citation:2025:KER:28974

Case Details & Bench

Court
High Court of Kerala
Hon'ble Judges
  • P. V. Kunhikrishnan
Judgment Date
2025-04-04
Court Decision / Holding
Bail application allowed with conditions: (1) Bond Rs.50,000 with two solvent sureties for like amount; (2) Petitioner to appear before the Investigating Officer as required and co-operate; (3) Petitioner shall not leave India without permission; (4) Petitioner shall not commit any similar offence; (5) Petitioner shall deposit Rs.5,000 before the jurisdictional court; (6) Observations in this order are for deciding this bail application; (7) Court may cancel bail for violation; (8) Observations referencing Anzar Azeez v. State of Kerala; The order directs compliance with the conditional bail and ties it to the investigation and trial outcomes.
Final Disposition
Bail Granted

Parties to the Case

Appellants / Petitioners

  • Muhammed Nayaz

Respondents

  • State of Kerala

Legal Representation & Advocates

Counsels for Petitioners

  • • A. Arunkumar
  • • S. Shyam Kumar
  • • Sachin George Aramban
  • • Nesili Nazeer

Counsels for Respondents

  • • Public Prosecutor, High Court of Kerala
  • • Noushad K A (Senior Public Prosecutor)

Case Synopsis & Summary

Muhammed Nayaz, the petitioner, seeks bail under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in connection with Crime No.192/2025 at Vidyanagar Police Station, Kasaragod. The accusation includes house trespass, mischief and offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (sections 126(2), 115(2), 118(1), 110, 333, 324(1), 296(b) and 351(2) read with 3(5)). The prosecution alleges that on 9 March 2025, at about 12:40 hours, the accused restrained the de facto complainant on his two-wheeler and assaulted him with an iron rod, stones and other implements, and the assault could have caused fatal injuries; damages of Rs.10,000 were caused. The petitioner has been in custody since 11 March 2025. He submits that indefinite incarceration is unwarranted and that he is ready to abide by conditions if bail is granted. The Public Prosecutor opposes bail, citing criminal antecedents. The Court notes that the offence includes house trespass and mischief, a non-bailable offence in combination with other charges, and that the damage is modest. In Davis P.R. v. State of Kerala (2025 (2) KHC 6), the Court observed that in such a case the accused may be directed to deposit damages or part thereof as a condition for bail. Relying on this and other rulings, the Court directs a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with two solvent sureties, a Rs 5,000 deposit, appearance before the Investigating Officer, travel restrictions, and other customary conditions. The bail is granted in the interests of fair trial, with observations that bail is the rule and jail the exception.

Provisions of Law Cited

Section 483 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha SanhitaSections 126(2), 115(2), 118(1), 110, 333, 324(1), 296(b) and 351(2) r/w 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)

Legal Doctrines & Maxims

  • Bail is the rule and jail is the exception

Submissions & Arguments

Contentions of Appellants / Petitioners

Counsel for the petitioner submitted that Nayaz has been in custody since 11 March 2025 and seeks bail with conditions. He contended that the offence is non-bailable but indefinite detention is unwarranted and that the petitioner is ready to abide by conditions including depositing damages if directed. He relied on Davis P.R. v. State of Kerala (2025 (2) KHC 6) to justify conditioning bail in a house trespass with mischief case and invoked the broader bail jurisprudence that bail is the rule and jail the exception, as reiterated by Chidambaram P v. Directorate of Enforcement (2019 (16) SCALE 870), Jalaluddin Khan v. Union of India (2024 KHC 6431), Manish Sisodia v. Directorate of Enforcement (2024 KHC 6426) and Anzar Azeez v. State of Kerala (2025 SCC OnLine KER 1260). The petitioner therefore seeks release on bail with bonds, a deposit of Rs. 5,000, and compliance with investigations.

Contentions of Respondents

The State through the Public Prosecutor opposed bail on grounds of criminal antecedents and the seriousness of the alleged offences, including house trespass and mischief with a non-trivial amount of damage. The prosecution argued that though indefinite custody is undesirable, the gravity of the allegations and the risk of interference with the investigation warrant cautious consideration. It urged that bail, if granted, should be strictly conditioned and tempered by statutory requirements.

Cited Precedents (5)

Case NameCitationTreatmentExplanation
Davis P.R. v. State of Kerala2025 (2) KHC 6PositiveCourt relied on this decision to justify conditioning bail with payment of damages in a house trespass and mischief case.
Chidambaram. P v Directorate of Enforcement2019 (16) SCALE 870PositiveSupreme Court principle that bail is the rule and jail the exception, guiding the present decision.
Jalaluddin Khan v. Union of India2024 KHC 6431PositiveHigh Court reiteration that bail should be granted in deserving cases under the rule 'bail is the rule...'
Manish Sisodia v. Directorate of Enforcement2024 KHC 6426PositiveHigh Court view supporting timely grant of bail and avoiding 'punishment' through denial of bail.
Anzar Azeez v. State of Kerala2025 SCC OnLine KER 1260PositiveCourt applies established Anzar Azeez principle relevant to bail in similar contexts.

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Extracted Judgment Text

Exact text extracted from official judgment records.

``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` 1 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** ## **`BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025`** ## **`IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM`** ## **`PRESENT`** ``` THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN ``` ``` FRIDAY, THE 4[TH] DAY OF APRIL 2025 / 14TH CHAITHRA, 1947 ``` ## **`BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025`** ``` CRIME NO.192/2025 OF VIDYA NAGAR POLICE STATION, Kasargod ``` ## **`PETITIONER/ACCUSED NO.2:`** ``` MUHAMMED NAYAZ AGED 24 YEARS S/O.MUHAMMED ALI, RASIYA QUARTERS, BAMBRANI NAGAR, CHENGALA, NOW R/AT N U HOUSE, IAS ROAD, NEAR BHAJANA MANDIRAM, K.K.PURAM, CHENGALA VILLAGE, KASARAGOD., PIN - 671541 ``` ``` BY ADVS. A.ARUNKUMAR S.SHYAM KUMAR SACHIN GEORGE ARAMBAN NESILI NAZEER ``` ## **`RESPONDENT/STATE:`** ``` STATE OF KERALA REPRESENTED BY PUBLIC PROSECUTOR,HIGH COURT OF KERALA, PIN - 682031 ``` ## **`SR PP-NOUSHAD K A`** ``` THIS BAIL APPLICATION HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 04.04.2025, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING: ``` ``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025 ``` ``` 2 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** ## **P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN, J. -------------------------------B.A. No.4560 of 2025 ---------------------------------------------Dated this the 04[th] day of April, 2025** ## **`ORDER`** This Bail Application is filed under Section 483 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. 2. Petitioner is the accused in Crime No.192/2025 of Vidhyanagar Police Station. The above case is registered against the petitioner alleging offences punishable under Sections 126(2), 115(2), 118(1), 110, 333, 324(1), 296(b) and 351(2) r/w 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (for short, BNS). 3. The prosecution case is that, on 09.03.2025 at 12.40 hours, the defacto complainant was moving out in his two wheeler, the accused wrongfully restrained the him and attacked him with iron rod, stones and rod and if the blow towards his head was not evaded, his death might have been caused. Hence it is alleged that the accused committed the ``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025 ``` ``` 3 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** offence. It is also alleged that the accused caused a damage to the tune of Rs.10,000/- . 4. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Public Prosecutor. 5. The counsel for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner is in custody from 11.03.2025 and the petitioner is ready to abide any conditions if this Court grant him bail. The Public Prosecutor opposed the bail application and submitted that the petitioner is having criminal antecedents. 6. This Court considered the contentions of the petitioner and the Public Prosecutor. The petitioner is in custody from 11.03.2025. Indefinite incarceration of the petitioner is not necessary. But the allegation against the petitioner is that he committed house trespass and mischief along with other accused. The damage assessed is Rs.10,000/-. In **Davis P.R. v. State of Kerala** [2025 (2) KHC 6], this Court observed that if an offence of house trespass which is a nonbailable offence coupled with mischief is committed, the Court can direct the accused to deposit the amount of damages/half of the amount or even double the amount of damages as a ``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` 4 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** ## **`BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025`** condition for granting bail. Considering the facts and circumstances, I think there can be a direction to the petitioner to deposit an amount of Rs.5,000/-. 7. 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 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. 8. Moreover, in **Jalaluddin Khan v. Union of** **India [2024 KHC 6431]** , the Hon'ble Supreme Court observed that: “21. Before we part with the Judgment, we must mention here that the Special Court and the High Court did not consider the material in the charge sheet objectively. Perhaps the focus was more on the activities of PFI, and therefore, the appellant's case could not be properly appreciated. When a case is made out for a grant of bail, the Courts should not have ``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025 ``` ``` 5 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** any hesitation in granting bail. The allegations of the prosecution may be very serious. But, the duty of the Courts is to consider the case for grant of bail in accordance with the law. "Bail is the rule and jail is an exception" is a settled law. Even in a case like the present case where there are stringent conditions for the grant of bail in the relevant statutes, the same rule holds good with only modifcation that the bail can be granted if the conditions in the statute are satisfed. The rule also means that once a case is made out for the grant of bail, the Court cannot decline to grant bail. If the Courts start denying bail in deserving cases, it will be a violation of the rights guaranteed under Art.21 of our Constitution.” (underline supplied) ## 9. In **Manish Sisodia v. Directorate of** ## **Enforcement [2024 KHC 6426]** , also the Hon'ble Supreme Court observed that: “53. The Court further observed that, over a period of time, the trial courts and the High Courts have forgotten a very well - settled principle of law that bail is not to be withheld as a punishment. From our experience, we can say that it appears that the trial courts and the High Courts attempt to play safe in matters of grant of ``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025 ``` ``` 6 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** bail. The principle that bail is a rule and refusal is an exception is, at times, followed in breach. On account of non - grant of bail even in straight forward open and shut cases, this Court is flooded with huge number of bail petitions thereby adding to the huge pendency. It is high time that the trial courts and the High Courts should recognize the principle that "bail is rule and jail is exception".” 10. 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. Petitioner shall be released on bail on executing a bond for Rs.50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) with two solvent sureties each for the like sum to the satisfaction of the jurisdictional Court. 2. The petitioner shall appear before the Investigating Officer for interrogation as and when required. The petitioner shall co- ``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` 7 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** ## **`BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025`** 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. 3. Petitioner shall not leave India without permission of the jurisdictional Court. 4. Petitioner shall not commit an offence similar to the offence of which he is accused, or suspected, of the commission of which he is suspected. 5. The petitioner shall deposit an amount of Rs.5,000/- before the jurisdictional court. I make it clear that this deposit will be subject to the conclusion of the investigation and trial, if any. 6. The observations and findings in this order is only for the purpose of deciding this bail ``` 2025:KER:28974 ``` ``` 8 ``` **==> picture [58 x 57] intentionally omitted <==** ## **`BAIL APPL. NO. 4560 OF 2025`** 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. 7. 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 there is any violation of the above conditions. sd/- **P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN JUDGE** jv