DEVENDRA MOHAN Vs. STATE OF U P

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Leave granted. This appeal arises out of an order passed by the High Court declining bail to the Appellant who is being prosecuted for an offence punishable Under Sections 120-B, 420, 465, 468, 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in RC-220-2012-E-0002 along with six others including Mr. Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former Minister. In appeal filed by Mr. Babu Singh Kushwaha against the order passed by the High Court declining bail to him, we have today by a separate order issued certain directions to the Trial Court to record the statement of certain witnesses which the prosecution considers to be filed for their case within a period of three months. The said directions in our opinion are applicable even to the case on hand especially when the case is similar to the one filed by Mr. Babu Singh Kushwaha. We accordingly dispose of this appeal in terms of our order dated 4th November, 2015 passed in SLP (Crl.) No. 4488 of 2015 in Babu Singh Kushwaha's case.

(2.) We had by our order dated 7th October, 2015 granted to the Appellant herein interim bail for a period upto 16th November, 2015. Mr. K.V. Viswanathan, learned Senior Counsel for the Petitioner submits that the said period could be extended by another 3 months particularly when there is no allegation that the Appellant has in any manner tampered with the evidence or otherwise been uncooperative with the ongoing trial. Mr. Maninder Singh, learned ASG does not seriously oppose that prayer. We accordingly direct that the interim bail granted to the Appellant shall stand extended but only for a period three months from 16th November, 2015. The appeal is accordingly disposed off in the abovesaid terms.