Regular bail in GST refund fraud case granted after prolonged custody and slow trial progress.

Allegations of forged documents used to secure fraudulent GST refunds were serious, but regular bail was granted because the accused had been in custody since 15.06.2019 and the trial had barely progressed. Only 2 of 14 prosecution witnesses had been examined, and the matter remained at the magisterial stage, making early conclusion of trial unlikely. The Court treated the length of custody and slow pace of trial as outweighing the gravity of the accusations for bail purposes.

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Issues: Whether the petitioner, accused in offences involving alleged forgery and fraudulent GST refund claims, was entitled to regular bail in view of the period of custody already undergone and the early stage of trial.

Analysis: The allegations were serious and related to the creation of forged documents for a non-existent company to obtain GST refund. However, the petitioner had remained in custody since 15.06.2019, the trial had not progressed substantially, and only 2 out of 14 prosecution witnesses had been examined. The proceedings were at the magisterial trial stage, making early conclusion of trial unlikely. These factors weighed in favour of release on bail despite the gravity of the accusation.

Conclusion: Regular bail was granted to the petitioner.

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