Aastha Thakur
Published on: 03 November 2022 at 21:21 IST
The High Court of Madhya Pradesh annulled the bail granted to an accused who was welcomed by a crowd of 100 people, touching his feet and chanting his name in celebration.
Justice Gurpal Singh Ahluwalia cancelled the bail alleged for crimes of cheating on the ground that the glorification of an accused by a mob would have an adverse effect on society.
“Glorification of an accused can never be in the interest of society as well as the justice dispensation system. Furthermore, the witnesses have also started turning hostile which may be the result of glorification or release on bail,” observed the Court.
The accused clearly projected himself as a warrior when he was released from prison, which was noted by the court. The defendant was seen firing a gun in the air after being released in one of the videos shown in the Court.
The order also stated that, “It is clear that he welcomed by a mob of approximately 100 people who not only garlanded him and touched his feet but were also chanting slogans in his favour and thereafter the respondent No. 2 was taken in his house in a Jeep and in another video, respondent No. 2 is seen firing in air and one of his supporters was heard challenging the applicant,“
The court was hearing a request that claimed the accused was embraced on release by a crowd of over 100 individuals who not only showered him with garlands and touched his feet but also chanted slogans. The following day, the accused fired gunshots into the air.
The applicant argued that the accused’s release shocked society and that the way he was let out of jail had a negative impact on the witnesses in the case, who were becoming hostile.
The accused, on the other hand, contended that the blessing of an accused after release was a typical aspect of Indian society and that the supporters’ greeting of him did not amount to a demonstration of any authority or terror.
But according to the Court, being granted bail was merely a temporary reprieve and could not be viewed as an acquittal. As a result, it determined that the accused had abused his freedom and revoked his bail, ordering him to appear before the trial court within a month.