Bail pending trial may be justified by long custody, filed charge-sheet, and likely trial delay without assessing merits.

Long judicial custody, completion of investigation through filing of the charge-sheet, and the likelihood of delay in trial were treated as sufficient grounds to release the accused on bail. The High Court did not assess the merits of the allegations and confined its consideration to the custody period and the stage of the proceedings. On that basis, bail was granted pending trial.

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Issues: Whether the accused petitioners were entitled to bail pending trial in view of their custody period, filing of the charge-sheet, and the likelihood of delay in trial.

Analysis: The accused petitioners had remained in judicial custody for a considerable period and the charge-sheet had already been filed. The Court also noted that the trial was likely to take time. Without expressing any view on the merits of the allegations, these circumstances were treated as sufficient to justify release on bail.

Conclusion: The accused petitioners were entitled to bail.

Ratio Decidendi: Long custody, completion of investigation by filing of the charge-sheet, and the prospect of delay in trial can justify grant of bail without adjudicating the merits of the accusations.

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