Regular bail granted where investigation was complete, evidence was documentary, and the applicant matched the bail position of a co-accused.

Regular bail was granted after the court noted that investigation had been completed, chargesheet and supplementary chargesheet were filed, and the prosecution case rested largely on documentary material. The applicant had remained in judicial custody since July 2021, had no prior criminal antecedents, and was similarly placed to a co-accused already on bail. As no useful purpose was seen in continued custody, further incarceration was held unwarranted and bail was allowed.

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Issues: Whether the applicant was entitled to regular bail in view of the completion of investigation, the documentary nature of the material, and parity with the co-accused.

Analysis: The application for regular bail was considered after noting that the chargesheet and supplementary chargesheet had already been filed, the applicant was in judicial custody since July 2021, and the prosecution material was largely documentary. The applicant was found to be similarly placed to the co-accused who had already been enlarged on bail. The record also showed no prior criminal antecedents, and no useful purpose was found to be served by continued custody. In these circumstances, further incarceration was not warranted.

Conclusion: Regular bail was granted to the applicant.

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