Interim Bail – To contest election or for canvassing/campaigning – FIRs against the petitioner inter alia for rioting and murder of an official of IB – Sought interim bail to participate and contest Delhi Assembly Elections, 2025 – Disallowed by the High Court – Challenge to:
Held: [Per Pankaj Mithal, J.] Interim bail is not permissible for contesting elections, much less for campaigning – Right to campaign or canvass is neither a fundamental right nor a constitutional or a human right or even a statutory right – There is no provision for interim bail under the law but lately it has become an acceptable mode of grant of bail in certain special contingencies – If interim bail is made permissible on the ground of contesting elections, it will open a Pandora’s box – The allegations made against the petitioner along with the chargesheet in connection with the rioting and the murder of the official of IB are serious – High Court rightly refused interim bail to the petitioner – No case made out for any indulgence. [Paras 6, 7, 9, 12] [Per Ahsanuddin Amanullah, J.] Merely because a statute imposes limitations on grant of bail, the same per se does not oust the jurisdiction of a Constitutional Court to grant bail – Though, the allegations and the evidence against the Petitioner are grave and reprehensible but the magnitude and gravity of the offence alleged are no grounds to deny bail, moreso when trial is prolonged – Petitioner’s rights u/Articles 14 and 21 cannot be lost sight of – He is in custody since March, 2020 – As on date, no Court of Law has convicted the Petitioner – He has secured bail in a majority of the cases – Considering these factors, in the facts and circumstances specific of the case, Petitioner granted interim bail for a limited period subject to conditions – Impugned judgment modified to that extent – In view of difference of opinion, matter to be placed before Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India. [Paras 26, 27, 29]
As published in the Supreme Court Reports, Supreme Court of India. Headnotes prepared by: Divya Pandey. Text from the Indian Supreme Court Judgments open data set (Dattam Labs), CC BY 4.0.
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