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1999 DIGILAW 273 (ORI)

MANOJ KUMAR MISHRA v. INDRAMANI PANIGRAHI

1999-08-10

P.K.PATRA

body1999
P. K. PATRA, J. ( 1 ) THESE four cases under S. 439 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short 'cr. P. C. ') have been filed by Manoj Kumar Mishra, the informant in Komna Police Station Case No. 2 dated 25-1-1997 corresponding to G. R. Case No. 22 of 1997 on the file of the S. D. J. M. , Nawapara under Ss. 147, 148, 323, 324, 325, 307 and 302 read with S. 148, I. P. C. , praying for cancellation of bail granted to eight opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 364/98, one opposite party in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4030/97, three opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4077/97 and thirteen opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4078/97, alleging that the said opposite parties were illegally granted bail by the Sessions Judge, Kalahandi-Nawapara and that the opposite parties are misutilising the liberty granted to them by terrorising the witnesses in the case. ( 2 ) ALL the four cases have been heard together and are disposed of by this common judgment. ( 3 ) ACCORDING to the petitioner, on 25-1-97 at about 4 a. m. while the petitioner and deceased Byasadev Pradhan along with some others were preparing for their journey to Nrusinghanath for picnic, all the aforesaid opposite parties and their companions came in a jeep being armed with deadly weapons like Thonga, Lathi and Pharsa and attacked the informant's party causing severe injuries to the informant and deceased Byasadev Pradhan and the latter succumbed to the injuries in Buria Medical College Hospital on 28-1-97. The informant lodged FIR at the Komna Police Station and after completion of investigation the I. O. submitted chargesheet against thirty accused persons including the present opposite parties who have been committed to the Court of Session in S. C. No. 62 of 1997. ( 4 ) ACCORDING to the petitioner, the learned Sessions Judge illegally granted bail to the eight opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 264/98 by the impugned order dated 17-11-1997, three opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4077/97 by the impugned order dated 23-8-97, one opposite party in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4020/97 by the impugned order dated 14-5-97 and thirteen opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4078/97 by the impugned order dated 23-8-97. Misc. Case No. 264/98 by the impugned order dated 17-11-1997, three opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4077/97 by the impugned order dated 23-8-97, one opposite party in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4020/97 by the impugned order dated 14-5-97 and thirteen opposite parties in Cri. Misc. Case No. 4078/97 by the impugned order dated 23-8-97. ( 5 ) ALL the chargesheeted accused persons have been committed to the Court of Session by the learned S. D. J. M. , Nawapara and Sessions Case No. 62/97 has been registered against them. It is alleged by the petitioner that grant of bail to the opposite parties in all the aforesaid four cases was illegal and the learned Sessions Judge ought not to have released them on bail and the opposite parties are misutilising the liberty granted to them. Hence the petitioner has prayed for cancellation of bail of the aforesaid opposite parties. ( 6 ) HEARD Mr. K. N. Dhal for the petitioner, Mr. D. P. Dhal for the accused-opposite parties and Mr. R. K. Patnaik, learned Additional Standing Counsel for the State. Learned counsel for the petitioner took me through the impugned orders dated 14-5-97, 17-11-97 and 22-8-97 passed by the learned Sessions Judge and strenuously urged for cancellation of bail granted to the accused-opposite parties, submitting that grant of bail in all the aforesaid four cases was illegal and that the opposite parties, after being released on bail, are misutilising the liberty granted to them by terrorising the witnesses. ( 7 ) IN support of his contention, the learned counsel for the petitioner placed reliance on the decisions reported in (1986) 62 CLT 699 (Chhaila Pradhan v. Bansidhar Pradhan) and (1998) 86 CLT 578 (Subrat Kumar Mishra v. Subhendu Mishra ). In the first case it has been held that bail granted illegally or improperly by wrong and arbitrary exercise of judicial discretion can be cancelled even if there is absence of supervening circumstances against the accused after the grant of bail. In the second case it has been held that bail granted by the Sessions Judge by making an unreasonable and improper assessment of evidence on record and on an unsatisfactory ground, i. e. illness of the mother specially when earlier application had been rejected by the same Court may be cancelled. ( 8 ) MR. In the second case it has been held that bail granted by the Sessions Judge by making an unreasonable and improper assessment of evidence on record and on an unsatisfactory ground, i. e. illness of the mother specially when earlier application had been rejected by the same Court may be cancelled. ( 8 ) MR. D. P. Dhal, learned counsel appearing for the accused opposite parties strenuously refuted the contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner contending that grant of bail to the above opposite parties cannot be said to be illegal and that the opposite parties have never misutilised the liberty granted to them and have ever terrorised the witnesses in the case. He has also contended that the report of the Superintendent of Police, Nawapara reveals that the opposite parties have never terrorised the witnesses in the case and have also never misutilised the liberty granted to them. He has further submitted that even if it is found that grant of bail was illegal or unjustified, this Court should not interfere with the same when the liberty granted to the opposite parties have never been misutilised. ( 9 ) IN support of his contention, learned counsel for the opposite parties placed reliance on the decision reported in AIR 1978 SC 961 : (1978 Cri LJ 952) (State through Delhi Admn. v. Sanjay Gandhi) wherein it has been held as follows :-"rejection of bail when bail is applied for is one thing, cancellation of bail already granted is quite another. It is easier to reject a bail application in a non-bailable case than to cancel a bail granted in such a case. Cancellation of bail necessarily involves the review of a decision already made and can by and large be permitted only if, by reason of supervening circumstances, it would be no longer conducive to a fair trial, to allow the accused to retain his freedom during the trial. The fact that prosecution witnesses have turned hostile cannot by itself justify the inference that the accused has won them over. The objective fact that witnesses have turned hostile must be shown to bear a casual connection with the subjective involvement therein of the accused. Without such proof, a bail once granted cannot be cancelled on the off chance or on the supposition that witnesses have been won over by the accused. The objective fact that witnesses have turned hostile must be shown to bear a casual connection with the subjective involvement therein of the accused. Without such proof, a bail once granted cannot be cancelled on the off chance or on the supposition that witnesses have been won over by the accused. Inconsistent testimony can no more be ascribed by itself to the influence of the accused than consistent testimony, by itself, can be ascribed to the pressure of the prosecution. "he has also placed reliance on the decisions reported in (1991) 71 CLT 208 (Parakhita Pradhan v. Bairagi Pradhan), (1989) 2 OCR 290 (Prafulla Kumar Pradhan v. Pabaneswar Subudhi), (1997) 12 OCR 512 (Chaitanya v. Paban) and (1992) 34 OJD 555 (State of Orissa v. Malaya ). ( 10 ) IN view of the decision of the Apex Court reported in AIR 1978 SC 961 (supra) and keeping in view the report of the Superintendent of Police that the opposite parties have not misutilised the liberty granted to them, expediency will not demand cancellation of bail granted to the opposite parties in the aforesaid four cases. All the four Criminal Misc. Cases are therefore found to be devoid of any merit and are liable to be and are hereby rejected. The interim order dated 23-3-98 in Criminal Misc. Case No. 164/98 stands vacated. The learned Sessions Judge is directed to dispose of the Sessions Case expeditiously. All the Criminal Misc. Cases are accordingly dismissed. Petition dismissed.