Foreign travel bail condition modified to reduce hardship while retaining safeguards for the accused's appearance before trial court.

A bail condition requiring prior trial court permission before leaving the country was modified because it caused undue hardship, while still preserving safeguards to secure the accused's availability. The petitioners were no longer required to appear before the trial court when seeking permission to travel abroad, and the application had to be decided expeditiously. The request for foreign travel also had to be supported by an affidavit stating the period of absence and the country of visit. The modification balanced travel restrictions with the need to ensure attendance before the trial court.

---

---

Issues: Whether the condition requiring prior permission of the trial court before leaving the country in a bail order deserved modification.

Analysis: The petition was directed against the bail condition requiring the petitioners to obtain prior permission before leaving the country. The Court, without entering into the dispute whether the offences were bailable, considered the practical hardship caused by the condition and balanced it against the need to secure the petitioners' appearance before the trial court. It therefore modified the condition by providing that the petitioners would not be required to appear before the court below when seeking permission to leave the country, and that such application should be decided expeditiously. The Court also required the application to be supported by an affidavit stating the period of absence and the country of visit.

Conclusion: The travel condition was modified in favour of the petitioners, subject to filing an affidavit and prompt decision on the application by the trial court.

Ratio Decidendi: A bail condition restricting foreign may be modified where it imposes undue hardship, provided safeguards are retained to secure the accused's availability before the trial court.

---