IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH AT SHIMLA
Cr. MP (M) No. 366 of 2020
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Decided on 17th March, 2020
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Sonu @ Situ …Petitioner
Versus
State of Himachal Pradesh …Respondent
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Coram:
The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sandeep Sharma, Judge.
Whether approved for reporting?1
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For the petitioner Mr. Satish Sharma and Mr. P.L.
Sharma, Advocate.
For the respondent
r Mr. Sudhir Bhatnagar, Addl. A.G
with Mr. Kunal Thakur, Dy. A.G
an Mr. Sunny Dhatwalia, Asstt.
A.G.
ASI Pradeep Kumar, Police
Station, Sadar, Jubbal, District
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
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Sandeep Sharma, J. (Oral)
Bail-petitioner namely Sonu @ Situ who is behind
the bars since 9th October, 2019 has approached this Court in
the instant proceedings filed under Section 439 Cr.P.C,
praying therein for grant of regular bail in FIR No. 80/2019
dated 9.10.2019 under Section 376 IPC and Sections 4 and 6
of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, registered
at Police Station, Jubbal, District Shimla, H.P
2. Sequel to order dated 28.2.2020, ASI Pradeep
Kumar has come present with the record. Mr. Kunal Thakur,
1
Whether reporters of the local papers may be allowed to see the judgment?
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learned Deputy Advocate General has also placed on record
status report prepared by the investigating agency on the basis
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of investigation carried out by it. Record perused and returned.
3. Status report/record reveals that on
9.10.2019 victim-prosecutrix (name withheld) lodged a
complaint at Police Station, Jubbal stating therein that she
came in contact with the bail-petitioner three years back and
since then they had been meeting each other frequently. She
alleged that the bail-petitioner used to persuade her for
solemnizing marriage with him. She also stated that two
months back, bail-petitioner had provided one mobile phone to
her. She also stated that the bail-petitioner used to come to her
school at Kuddu occasionally to meet her. She alleged that on
9th October, 2019 bail petitioner gave her telephone call and
asked her to come near Kuddu temple. She stated that on the
aforesaid date, she after getting ready for school went to near
Kuddu temple, where allegedly bail-petitioners developed
physical relations with her. She stated that she remained in the
company of bail-petitioner till 2.30 p.m., whereafter she asked
the bail-petitioner to solemnize marriage but he refused to take
her to his home. She alleged that after having reached home,
she disclosed this incident to her aunt, who further disclosed
the same to her mother. On the basis of aforesaid statement,
police got the victim-prosecutrix medically examined at CHC
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Rohroo. On the same day, police also got statement of victim-
prosecutrix recorded under Section 164 Cr.P.C where she
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virtually reiterated her initial statement given to the police
under Section 154 Cr.P.C. In the aforesaid background, FIR
detailed in above, came to be lodged against the bail-petitioner
under Section 376 IPC and Sections 4 and 6 of Protection of
Children from Sexual Offences Act.
4. Mr. Kunal Thakur, learned Deputy Advocate
General while making this Court to peruse the statement of
victim-prosecutrix recorded under Sections 154 Cr.P.C and 164
Cr.P.C made a serious attempt to persuade this Court to agree
with his contention that the bail petitioner taking under
advantage of innocence and minority of the victim-prosecutrix
repeatedly sexually assaulted her against her wishes, as such,
prayer having been made on his behalf for grant of bail be
rejected at this stage. Mr. Thakur further contended that
consent, if any, of the victim-prosecutrix is immaterial on
account of his minority.
5. Having heard learned counsel representing
the parties and perused the material available on record,
especially the statements of the victim-prosecutrix recorded
under Sections 154 Cr.P.C and 164 Cr.P.C, this Court is
convinced that the bail-petitioner and the victim-prosecutrix
had prior acquaintance and they had been meeting each other
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for last three years. Statement of victim-prosecutrix clearly
reveals that even on the date of alleged incident, she of her
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own volition without there being any pressure from the bail-
petitioner not only went to Kuddu temple but also joined the
company of bail-petitioner. It has come specifically in the
statement of the victim/prosecutrix that the bail petitioner
wanted to solemnize marriage with her. Though, the victim-
prosecutrix in her initial statement recorded under Section 154
Cr.P.C. has no-where alleged that she was also subjected to
sexual intercourse three months back prior to the alleged
incident held on 9.10.2019, but in her subsequent statement
recorded under Section 164 Cr.P.C she took a ‘U’ turn and
alleged that prior to alleged incident, she was also subjected to
sexual intercourse three months back. However, there is no
material worth the name available on record suggestive of the
fact that complaint, if any, ever came to be lodged by the
victim/prosecutrix with regard to incident allegedly took place
three months prior to the fresh incident allegeldy held on
9.10.2019. No doubt that at the time of alleged incident the
victim-prosecutrix was 16½ years, but having noticed her
conduct, which duly reflects from her statements given to the
police as well as Judicial Magistrate, it cannot be said that she
is/was incapable of understanding the consequences of her
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being in the company of the bail petitioner, with whom she
want to solemnize the marriage.
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6. Though the aforesaid aspects of the matter
are to be considered and decided by the learned trial Court in
the totality of evidence collected on record by the investigating
agency but having taken note of the material available on
record, especially statements of victim-prosecutrix and other
material prosecution witnesses, this Court sees no reason to let
the bail petitioner incarcerate in jail for an indefinite period
during trial, especially when he has already suffered for more
than one and a half year.
7. In the case at hand guilt, if any, of the bail
petitioner, is yet to be determined in the totality of the
evidence collected on record by the prosecution and as such
there appears to be no justification to let the bail petitioner
incarcerate in the jail during trial for indefinite period.
8. Recently, the Hon’ble Apex Court in Criminal
Appeal No. 227/2018, Dataram Singh vs. State of Uttar
Pradesh Anr decided on 6.2.2018 has held that freedom of
an individual can not be curtailed for indefinite period,
especially when his/her guilt is yet to be proved. It has further
held by the Hon’ble Apex Court in the aforesaid judgment that
a person is believed to be innocent until found guilty. The
Hon’ble Apex Court has held as under:
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“2. A fundamental postulate of criminal jurisprudence is the
presumption of innocence, meaning thereby that a person is
believed to be innocent until found guilty. However, there are
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instances in our criminal law where a reverse onus has been
placed on an accused with regard to some specific offences
but that is another matter and does not detract from the
fundamental postulate in respect of other offences. Yet
another important facet of our criminal jurisprudence is that
the grant of bail is the general rule and putting a person in jail
or in a prison or in a correction home (whichever expression
one may wish to use) is an exception. Unfortunately, some of
these basic principles appear to have been lost sight of with
the result that more and more persons are being incarcerated
and for longer periods. This does not do any good to our
criminal jurisprudence or to our society.
3. There is no doubt that the grant or denial of bail is entirely
the discretion of the judge considering a case but even so, the
exercise of judicial discretion has been circumscribed by a
large number of decisions rendered by this Court and by every
High Court in the country. Yet, occasionally there is a necessity
to introspect whether denying bail to an accused person is the
right thing to do on the facts and in the circumstances of a
case.
4. While so introspecting, among the factors that need to be
considered is whether the accused was arrested during
investigations when that person perhaps has the best
opportunity to tamper with the evidence or influence
witnesses. If the investigating officer does not find it necessary
to arrest an accused person during investigations, a strong
case should be made out for placing that person in judicial
custody after a charge sheet is filed. Similarly, it is important
to ascertain whether the accused was participating in the
investigations to the satisfaction of the investigating officer
and was not absconding or not appearing when required by
the investigating officer. Surely, if an accused is not hiding
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from the investigating officer or is hiding due to some genuine
and expressed fear of being victimised, it would be a factor
that a judge would need to consider in an appropriate case. It
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is also necessary for the judge to consider whether the
accused is a first-time offender or has been accused of other
offences and if so, the nature of such offences and his or her
general conduct. The poverty or the deemed indigent status of
an accused is also an extremely important factor and even
Parliament has taken notice of it by incorporating an
Explanation to Section 436 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
1973. An equally soft approach to incarceration has been
taken by Parliament by inserting Section 436A in the Code of
Criminal Procedure, 1973.
5. To put it shortly, a humane attitude is required to be
adopted by a judge, while dealing with an application for
remanding a suspect or an accused person to police custody or
judicial custody. There are several reasons for this including
maintaining the dignity of an accused person, howsoever poor
that person might be, the requirements of Article 21 of the
Constitution and the fact that there is enormous overcrowding
in prisons, leading to social and other problems as noticed by
this Court in In Re-Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons.”
9. In Sanjay Chandra versus Central
Bureau of Investigation (2012)1 Supreme Court Cases 49,
Hon’ble Apex Court has held that gravity alone cannot be a
decisive ground to deny bail, rather competing factors are
required to be balanced by the court while exercising its
discretion. It has been repeatedly held by the Hon’ble Apex
Court that object of bail is to secure the appearance of the
accused person at his trial by reasonable amount of bail. The
object of bail is neither punitive nor preventative.
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10. Needless to say object of the bail is to
secure the attendance of the accused in the trial and the
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proper test to be applied in the solution of the question
whether bail should be granted or refused is whether it is
probable that the party will appear to take his trial.
Otherwise also, normal rule is of bail and not jail. Apart from
above, Court has to keep in mind nature of accusations,
nature of evidence in support thereof, severity of the
punishment, which conviction will entail, character of the
accused, circumstances which are peculiar to the accused
involved in that crime.
11. The Apex Court in Prasanta Kumar Sarkar
versus Ashis Chatterjee and another (2010) 14 SCC 496,
has laid down the various principles to be kept in mind, while
deciding petition for bail i.e. prima facie case against the
accused, nature and gravity of offence, severity of punishment,
likelihood of repeating of the offence by accused etc.
12. In view of above, bail petitioner has carved
out a case for himself. Consequently, present petition is
allowed. Petitioner is ordered to be enlarged on bail, subject to
furnishing bail bonds in the sum of Rs.1,00,000 with one local
surety in the like amount, to the satisfaction of the
Investigating Officer/learned trial Court concerned, besides the
following conditions:
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(a) He shall make himself available for the purpose of
interrogation, if so required and regularly attend
the trial Court on each and every date of hearing
and if prevented by any reason to do so, seek.
exemption from appearance by filing appropriate
application;
(b) He shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence
nor hamper the investigation of the case in anymanner whatsoever;
(c) He shall not make any inducement, threat or
promises to any person acquainted with the facts of
the case so as to dissuade him/her from disclosingsuch facts to the Court or the Police Officer; and
(d) He shall not leave the territory of India without the
prior permission of the Court.
(e) He shall surrender passport, if any, held by him.
13. It is clarified that if the petitioner misuses the
liberty or violates any of the conditions imposed upon him, the
investigating agency shall be free to move this Court for
cancellation of the bail.
14. Any observations made hereinabove shall not
be construed to be a reflection on the merits of the case and
shall remain confined to the disposal of this petition alone.
The petition stands accordingly disposed of.
Copy Dasti.
(Sandeep Sharma)
Judge
March 17, 2020
(naveen)
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