Tripura HC Orders Probe Into Lower Court’s Grant Of Bail To 6 Murder Accused

Tripura High Court

The Tripura High Court has directed the Registrar Judicial to investigate how 6 murder accused were granted bail by a lower court, despite their applications being rejected by the High Court earlier.

The development was confirmed by senior advocate Purushottam Roy Barman on Thursday.

HC Questions Court’s Decision

Justice Biswajit Palit of the Tripura High Court has also issued notices to the six accused, asking them to explain why their bail should not be cancelled.

The court’s direction comes after it was brought to its notice that the Additional District and Sessions Court in Belonia granted bail to 6 individuals on July 25, despite an earlier High Court order denying them bail due to serious charges and strong evidence.

Background

The case pertains to the murder of Badal Shil, a CPI(M) candidate for the South Tripura Zilla Parishad elections. On July 12 last year, Shil was brutally attacked by a group of individuals in the Chottakhola area. He succumbed to his injuries a day later at GBP Hospital in Agartala.

Following the incident, seven individuals were arrested based on an FIR. The police, after completing their investigation, submitted a charge-sheet accusing all seven of murder before the Additional District and Sessions Court.

Initial Bail Denied By Both Courts

Advocate Roy Barman said that after the charge-sheet was filed, all seven accused applied for bail before the trial court. Given the gravity of the offence and the available evidence, the Additional District and Sessions Court rejected their applications.

Subsequently, six of the accused challenged the lower court’s decision in the High Court. In March this year, Justice Palit dismissed their bail pleas, stating that “bail cannot be granted at this stage because evidence against them appeared solid.”

Lower Court Grants Bail Despite HC Ruling

Despite the High Court’s clear stand, the same six accused moved the Belonia sessions court again, seeking bail on grounds that trial proceedings had commenced. On July 25, the court granted them bail.

“We took the matter before Justice Palit again and submitted that the lower court’s decision goes against the discipline and authority of the judicial system,” said Roy Barman.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Palit ordered an inquiry by the Registrar Judicial into the bail grant and sought explanations from the six accused on why their bail should not be revoked.