Suba Lakshmi vs State Of Kerala

Dr Kauser Edappagath, J

This application is filed u/s 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking pre-arrest bail.

The applicants are the accused Nos.2 and 3 in Crime No.70/2023 of Pathanamthitta Police Station. The offences alleged are punishable under Sections 354, 506 r/w 34 of IPC and Sections 13, 17 18(a) of the Kerala Money Lenders Act.

The prosecution case, in short, is that the applicants along with the 1st accused without any licence lent money for exorbitant interest to the de facto complainant and received blank cheques from her and thereafter, they threatened and humiliated her in public by demanding the money with an intention to outrage her modesty. Due to the threat and mental torture, on 02.01.2023, the de facto complainant attempted to commit suicide by consuming rat poison and she was hospitalized.

I have heard Sri.T.K.Biju (Manjinikara), the learned counsel for the applicants and Sri.M.P.Prasanth, the learned Public Prosecutor. Perused the case diary.

The learned counsel for the applicants submitted that the applicants are innocent and have been falsely implicated in the present case. The counsel further submitted that no materials are on record to connect the applicants with the alleged crime; hence, they are entitled to get bail. The learned Public Prosecutor, on the other hand, submitted that the alleged incident occurred as a part of the intentional criminal acts of the applicants, and if they are released on bail at this stage, it will affect the course of the investigation.

The allegation to attract the offence under Section 354 of IPC is only against the accused No.1 . The applicants are ladies. The 2nd

applicant is the daughter of the accused No.1. There is no case for the de facto complainant that the applicants are engaged in the trade of money lending without licence. Only single instance of money lending is alleged. The applicants have no criminal antecedents. Considering the allegations levelled against the applicants, their custodial interrogation does not appear to be necessary. For these reasons, it is a fit case where pre-arrest bail can be granted to the applicants.

In the result, the application is allowed on the following conditions:-

(i) The applicants shall be released on bail in the event of their arrest on executing a bond for Rs.1,00,000/- (Rupees One lakh only) each with two solvent sureties for the like sum each to the satisfaction of the arresting officer/investigating officer, as the case may be.

(ii) The applicants shall fully cooperate with the investigation, including subjecting themselves to the deemed police custody for discovery, if any, as and when demanded.

(iii) The applicants shall appear before the investigating officer between 10.00 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. every Saturday until further orders. They shall also appear before the investigating officer as and when required.

(iv) The applicants shall not commit any offence of a like nature while on bail.

(v) The applicants shall not attempt to contact any of the prosecution witnesses, directly or through any other person, or in any other way try to tamper with the evidence or influence any witnesses or other persons related to the investigation.

(vi) The applicants shall not leave the State of Kerala without the permission of the trial Court.

(vii) The application, if any, for deletion/modification of bail conditions or cancellation of bail on the grounds of violating the bail conditions shall be filed at the jurisdictional court.