In a bail application filed before the Delhi High Court seeking regular bail in a case regarding commission of offences punishable under Sections 120B/420/467/468/471 read with Sections 13(2)/13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, a Single Judge Bench of Justice Girish Kathpalia took note of the lack of interest portrayed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in opposing the matter and granted bail to the applicant.
The applicant, along with the co-accused persons, had fraudulently obtained a grant of more than Rs. 2 Crore from the government and had transferred the same into a bank account belonging to an NGO run by the accused. In 2012, the CBI registered a case, and all accused persons except the applicant had already been released on bail. The entire prosecution evidence was concluded in her absence, as she was declared a proclaimed offender since she had absconded and was arrested on 29-11-2025.
The Court noted that the Investigating Officer had failed to appear before the Court and remarked that the CBI did not seem to be seriously interested in opposing the present application. It was further noted that the only ground on which the bail was opposed was that it took 13 years for the CBI to apprehend the applicant.
The Court stated that the fact that a premier central investigating agency took 13 years to even apprehend a proclaimed offender spoke volumes about its interest in arresting the applicant. Thus, the Court granted bail to the applicant subject to submission of a personal bond of Rs. 50,000/- with one surety of like amount before the Trial Court.
Appearances:
For Petitioner – Mr. Rituraj Biswas, Mr. Murari Kumar Singh, Mr. Aayush Garg
For Respondent – Mr. Vikrant Pachnanda (SPP), Mr. Mukul Katyal
