Bail travel restriction relaxed where GST proceedings remained pending and parity supported removal of passport surrender condition.

A bail condition requiring surrender of the passport and prior permission to leave India was relaxed where the travel restraint was no longer justified by the stage of the GST proceedings. The court noted that prosecution against the applicant remained pending, that a co-accused had already obtained similar relief from the Supreme Court, and that continued restriction on foreign travel should not operate indefinitely on those facts. The existing condition was therefore modified, and the restraint on leaving India was removed.

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Issues: Whether the bail condition requiring surrender of passport and restriction on leaving India was liable to be relaxed.

Analysis: The applicant sought modification of the bail condition imposed earlier, contending that the prosecution and adjudication under the GST regime had not progressed to a stage justifying continuation of the travel restraint. The order noted that a co-accused had already obtained similar relief from the Supreme Court, that the proceedings against the applicant were still pending, and that the restriction on the passport should not continue indefinitely in the circumstances. On that basis, the Court found sufficient justification to modify the existing condition.

Conclusion: The bail condition requiring surrender of the passport and prior permission to leave India was relaxed in favour of the applicant.

Final Conclusion: The conditional restraint on foreign travel attached to the earlier bail order was removed, and the application seeking modification of that condition was allowed.

Ratio Decidendi: A bail condition restricting travel abroad and requiring surrender of passport may be relaxed where continuation of the restraint is no longer justified by the stage of proceedings and parity supports similar relief.

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