RAMESH DAS Vs. STATE OF ORISSA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner, accused of having committed an offence under Sec.376 and 506, IPC read Sec.3 of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Attrocities) Act has filed this petition praying for his release on bail.

(2.) Shri Manoj Mishra, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, in course of argument submitted that the charge-sheet having not been filed within 120 days from the date of remand to judicial custody, the petitioner, as of right, is entitled to bail as envisaged in proviso (a) of sub-section (2) of S. 167 of the Code of Criminal procedure, 1973 (for short, 'the 1973 Code'). He contended that the petitioner was remanded to custody by the learned Special Judge on 2-10-1998 and the outer limit for filing charge-sheet, that is 120 days, having expired on 1-2-1999, within which charge-sheet was not filed, the petitioner exercised his right under proviso (a) to Sec. 167 (2) and applied to the Court for his release. The learned Special Judge insted of passing orders on the very day, adjourned the case to next day. On the adjourned date, the prosecution filed the charge-sheet, as a result the learned Court below refused to grant compulsive bail by invoking power conferred by the aforesaid provision. Shri Mishra strenuously urged that on the failure of the prosecution to file charge-sheet within the maximum time allowed by law, the petitioner exercised his indefeasible right and applied to the Court for his release on bail. The learned Special Judge instead of passing orders on the very day, adjourned the matter to enable the prosecution to file chare-sheet which he cought not to have done in view of what has been ruled by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Mohamad Iqbal Madar Sheikh v. State of Maharashtra : (1996)1 SCC 722. He further urged that the learned Special Judge being a senior Judical Officer honoured the provision of S. 167 of the 1973 Code more in breach than in observance, inasmuch as charge-sheet having not been filed within the prescribed period further remand of the petitioner after expiry of the said period under Sec. 167 was not permissible. Therefore, it was obligatory of him to pass orders for release of the petitioner forthwith, as has been observed in various judicial pronouncements of the apex Court and of this Court. In that view of the matter,Shri Mishra urged that the petitioner's prayer for bail on the ground of default in completion of investigationwithin the statutory period should be allowed.

(3.) Shri S. K. Nayak, learned Additional Standing Counsel, on the other hand, submitted that it has been authoritatively held by the Supreme Court in Sanjay Dutt v. State : (1994)5 SCC 410 : (1995 Cri. LJ 477). Hitendra Vishnu Thakur v. State of Maharashtra : (1994)4 SCC 602 : (1995 Cri. LJ 517), and State of M. P. v. Rustam : (1996)2 OCR (SC) 167, that Court is required to examine the availability of the right of compulsive bail on the date of consideration of the prayer and not on the date of presentation of the petition. In the preseant case on the date of consideration of the petitioner's prayer for bail charge-sheet having been filed, the learned Special Judge was right in not admitting the petitioner to bail with the aid of proviso (a) to sub-sec. (2) of Sec. 167 of the 1973 Code.