Man accused of robbing people after sedating them denied bail; can hamper probe: Court

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 19

Narender, Additional Sessions Judge, Chandigarh, has denied bail to a 54-year-old man, who allegedly robbed people by offering them biscuits laced with intoxicants.

While rejecting the bail, the court said, if granted bail, the applicant could hamper the process of investigation and would pressurise the complainant.

The police had arrested the accused, Krishan Lal Sharma, in December 2021 from the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Sector 17, Chandigarh.

Sharma was arrested after the police registered an FIR on a complaint of a Mohali resident, Rajinder Singh, on December 19, 2021. Rajinder told the police that he was running a cloth shop in Mohali.

The complainant said he had boarded a Haryana Roadways bus on September 13, 2021 for Delhi to purchase fabric. A person also boarded the bus from the bus stand and sat by his seat. The person offered him biscuits in Zirakpur. He felt dizzy after eating the biscuits. After sometime, he fell unconscious.

The bus conductor got him admitted to Ballabgarh Hospital from where he was referred to the Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. He regained consciousness after two days. He found his mobile phone and Rs30,000 in cash, a gold ring and an Aadhaar card missing.

The accused was arrested after he allegedly robbed an auto driver at the bus stand in Sector 17. The accused was allegedly active for the past 10 years at the bus stand.

The counsel for the accused argued that the applicant had been in custody since his arrest. No useful purpose would be served by keeping him in judicial custody for any longer period as the trial would take a long time to conclude. Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Sethi said there were serious allegations against the applicant.

After hearing the arguments, the court said: “It is a settled law that mere long custody does not make the accused entitled to be given concession of bail. Further, investigation of the case is still on. The challan is yet to be filed. Thereafter, public witnesses, including the complainant, are to be examined. In these circumstances, if the applicant is given concession of bail, he can hamper the process of investigation and will pressurise the complainant. In these circumstances, the court has not found any good ground to allow the application in hand and the same is accordingly dismissed”.

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