2025 (8) TMI 1295 - HC - Indian Laws

Anticipatory bail modified deleting travel restrictions; Section 88 Cr.P.C. allows bond; accused must provide travel details and appear

Kirti Vishwanath Kedia Versus Central Bureau of Investigation (EOB) and Anr.

HC modified anticipatory bail order, deleting two travel-related conditions and allowing the bail application. The court held Section 88 Cr.P.C. requires ... Seeking modification of order of anticipatory bail - grant of liberty to travel abroad - interpretation of provisions of Section 88 of Cr.P.C. viz-a-viz Section 205 of Cr.P.C. - HELD THAT:- It is seen that the object of Section 88 of Cr.P.C. is to ensure appearance of a person in Court and the only condition contemplated in Section 88 is for such person to execute a bond with or without sureties. In the case of Applicant before me due to interim order dated 15.02.2022 he was issued summons to appear on 04.04.2022 and hence he could not have been taken into custody. However because of a subsequent development of some co-accused persons having been taken into custody, the Applicant was constrained to file Anticipatory Bail Application. It is in this background that Anticipatory Bail Application filed by Applicant was heard and bail was granted with conditions imposed in the said order. Further it is seen that Applicant had a medical surgery in Singapore and is required to regularly do his follow-up visits with his treating Doctor in Singapore. It is seen that he has already undergone heart bypass surgery on 20.11.2013 by Dr. Lye Ywai Chong in Singapore. It is also seen that he is suffering from kidney ailment. It is also seen that Applicant is a businessman and has wide experience and expertise in the field of construction, finance and property development and therefore needs to travel abroad for business purpose at short notice. It is in this background that the order came to be passed against the Accused persons laying down the conditions regarding surrender of passport and seeking leave of Court to travel abroad. Taking an overall view of the case in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the Applicant's case while accepting submissions advanced by Dr. Kantawala on the factual grounds as also applicability of the provisions of Section 88 of the Cr.P.C. to the case of Applicant, it is opined that the twin conditions namely (c) and (d) in the order granting anticipatory bail to the Applicant are required to be interfered with and deleted. Applicant is directed to furnish all details of his travel abroad as and when he desires to undertake travel abroad to the Investigating Officer in writing by giving all such necessary details of his travel therein, details of his tickets and visa, details of his stay abroad, details of his return and also all such necessary details relating to his mobile phone number which he would be using while being abroad, his Email ID and address where he would be staying while being abroad. This is to ensure that the whereabouts of the Applicant are known to the prosecution agency - Applicant shall ensure that he appears on all dates of trial before the Special CBI Court in the Special case and if on the date of any hearing he is not available for any reason he shall ensure that his pleader/Advocate shall appear and seek appropriate exemption from appearance for his absence on that date in accordance with law. The said conditions are deleted - Bail application allowed. 1. ISSUES PRESENTED AND CONSIDERED 1. Whether the twin bail conditions requiring surrender of passport and prior permission of the Court before any travel abroad (conditions (c) and (d)) imposed in an anticipatory-bail order can be deleted in the facts of the case. 2. Whether the legal regime under Section 88 Cr.P.C. (power to take bond for appearance) and the subsequent Supreme Court interpretation in Tarsem Lal (holding that acceptance of bonds under Section 88 is not grant of bail) displaces or limits the power to impose additional travel-related conditions under Sections 437/439 Cr.P.C. and the Court's inherent discretion when anticipatory bail is granted post-cognizance. 3. Whether less onerous measures (e.g., furnishing travel details to the Investigating Officer and ensuring appearance by counsel/exemption applications) adequately protect prosecution interests (attendance at trial, prevention of flight) in lieu of surrendering passport and seeking prior leave of court. 2. ISSUE-WISE DETAILED ANALYSIS Issue 1 - Deletion of passport-surrender and prior-permission conditions Legal framework: Bail and anticipatory bail conditions are governed by Sections 437, 439 and the court's inherent discretion; Section 88 Cr.P.C. permits taking bonds for appearance where a person is present in court on summons. Courts may impose conditions reasonably necessary to secure attendance and prevent misuse of liberty. Precedent Treatment: The Court considered the Supreme Court's Tarsem Lal decision interpreting Section 88 (acceptance of bonds does not amount to grant of bail) and treated that decision as instructive on obligations where a person appears on summons post-cognizance. Interpretation and reasoning: The Court found the twin conditions to be onerous in the peculiar facts: applicant participated in investigation, was not arrested pre-charge-sheet, has substantial roots and assets in the jurisdiction, and has frequent, sometimes urgent, foreign travel needs (notably medical treatment). The factual matrix demonstrated compliance with the conditions on prior occasions (applicant sought and obtained permission repeatedly and returned each time). Given these circumstances, the Court reasoned that the blanket requirement to deposit passport and seek court permission before every trip unduly fettered legitimate travel and could prejudice time-sensitive business and medical engagements. Ratio vs. Obiter: Ratio - where an accused who has appeared on summons, participated in investigation, has demonstrable ties to the forum, and repeatedly complied with prior conditions, a court may delete passport-surrender and prior-permission conditions and substitute reasonable reporting obligations to prosecution. Obiter - observations on general seriousness of offences and potential for flight in different factual matrices. Conclusion: The twin conditions (passport surrender and prior court permission) were deleted in the particular facts. Passport to be returned forthwith (if in custody), subject to substituted conditions to enable prosecution to know the accused's whereabouts. Issue 2 - Applicability of Section 88 Cr.P.C. and effect of Tarsem Lal on imposition of conditions Legal framework: Section 88 Cr.P.C. empowers an officer presiding in court to require execution of a bond (with or without sureties) for appearance; Section 205 permits magistrate to dispense with personal attendance. Sections 437/439 relate to bail in non-bailable and bailable cases respectively. Tarsem Lal clarified that acceptance of bonds under Section 88 does not equate to grant of bail. Precedent Treatment: The Court followed Tarsem Lal insofar as it recognizes that where an accused has appeared on summons and bond under Section 88 is taken, the accused could not have been lawfully taken into custody for that stage. However, the Court distinguished the consequence that this precludes any imposition of further conditions at later stages (post-cognizance) - subsequent developments (e.g., co-accused arrest, filing of charge-sheet) may alter considerations regarding liberty and conditions. Interpretation and reasoning: The Court accepted that Section 88's object is securing appearance (by bond). Where a person is present in court on summons and bond is taken, custody should not have been ordered at that stage. Yet the Court held that the Tarsem Lal interpretation does not create an automatic bar to imposing reasonable conditions when anticipatory bail is ultimately granted or when circumstances change (e.g., serious allegations, risk of absconding demonstrated by facts). The power to impose conditions under Sections 437/439 and the court's discretion remain available, but must be exercised proportionately to facts. Ratio vs. Obiter: Ratio - Tarsem Lal's core proposition (Section 88 bond is not bail) is accepted and applied; but it does not preclude the court, when later admitting an accused to anticipatory bail post-cognizance, from imposing appropriate conditions if justified by facts. Obiter - general remarks on interplay of Sections 88 and 205 in varying fact situations. Conclusion: Section 88 and Tarsem Lal are relevant and persuasive but do not categorically prevent imposition or deletion of travel-related conditions; the appropriate application depends on factual matrix and proportionality of measures adopted to secure trial and attendance. Issue 3 - Adequacy of alternative, less onerous conditions to protect prosecution's interest Legal framework: Courts may impose reasonable conditions short of removing liberty to ensure attendance and prevent flight; conditions can include disclosure of travel details, requirement that counsel appear and seek exemption, periodic reporting, and communication of contact details while abroad. Precedent Treatment: The Court applied discretionary balancing - substituting reporting and disclosure obligations where they adequately address prosecution's concerns, particularly where accused has shown compliance and strong ties to jurisdiction. Interpretation and reasoning: Given the admitted participation in investigation, absence of prior arrest, strong local ties, and the applicant's history of complying with court permissions, the Court found disclosure-of-travel-details and obligations to ensure appearance (or have counsel seek exemptions) are adequate safeguards. The Court emphasized that prosecution must be kept informed of the accused's itinerary, contact details, visa, ticket, place of stay, and that the accused must appear at trial dates or have counsel seek lawful exemption. Ratio vs. Obiter: Ratio - where facts show low flight risk and high compliance, substituted conditions (advance written disclosure of travel details to Investigating Officer, contact information, and obligation to attend trial or secure exemption through counsel) are proportionate and workable safeguards in lieu of passport surrender and prior court leave. Obiter - the suggestion that different facts (serious flight risk, lack of ties) may justify continued imposition of passport-surrender/leave conditions. Conclusion: The Court held that alternative conditions requiring written disclosure of travel details to the Investigating Officer, ensuring appearance at trial (or valid exemption via counsel), and provision of contact information while abroad sufficiently protect prosecution interests and were imposed as mandatory conditions accompanying deletion of the original twin conditions. Final operative conclusions (interwoven with above issues) On the facts, the travel-related conditions in the anticipatory-bail order were deleted and passport returned (if in custody), subject to substituted obligations: advance written travel disclosure to Investigating Officer (including ticket/visa/stay/return/contact details), obligation to appear at trial dates (or have counsel apply for exemption), and liberty to apply if any difficulty arises. The Court balanced the accused's medical and business exigencies, demonstrated compliance history, and the prosecution's legitimate interest in knowing whereabouts; the outcome is fact-specific and not a general rule disabling precautionary conditions in all cases.