NISAR AHMED vs THE STATE, ETC
This matter concerns a petition for leave to appeal against the dismissal of a fourth post-arrest bail application by the Lahore High Court in a criminal case involving charges under sections 302, 324, 337-A(i), 337-A(ii), 337-F(i), 337-F(iii), 148, and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code 1860. The core legal question was whether the failure of a trial court to conclude a trial within a specified timeframe, or the subsequent filing of a direct complaint, constitutes valid grounds for granting bail after previous bail applications have been dismissed. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, holding that neither the delay in trial nor the filing of a direct complaint provides a sufficient legal basis for bail under the statutory framework. The court established the principle that non-compliance with directions for expeditious trial disposal is not a valid ground for bail under Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898, and that prior bail-refusing orders attain finality, requiring the demonstration of a genuine fresh ground for any subsequent bail application to be considered.
- Does the failure of a trial court to conclude a trial expeditiously constitute a valid ground for the grant of post-arrest bail?
- Does the filing of a direct complaint provide a fresh ground for a subsequent bail application after previous bail refusals have attained finality?
- Can a petitioner seek bail based on grounds that are alien to the provisions of Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898?
- Section 302, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 324, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 337-A(i), Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 337-A(ii), Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 337-F(i), Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 337-F(iii), Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 148, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 149, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 497, Code of Criminal Procedure 1898
ANWAR ZAHEER JAMALI, J.---Petitioner is one of the nominated accused in crime No. 324/2012, dated 8.12.2012, P.S. Shahkot, District Sahiwal, registered under sections 302, 324, 337-A(i), 337-A(ii), 337-F(i), 337-F(iii), 148, 149, PPC with the allegations that he alongwith nine other co-accused, while forming an unlawful assembly, committed qatl-i-amd of Yasir Abbas and caused injuries to three other persons. The petitioner was assigned specific role of causing fatal injury to the deceased.
2. The petitioner was arrested on 14.1.2013 and since then he is stated to be in custody. The first bail application moved him before the Lahore High Court, being criminal miscellaneous No. 2148-B of 2014, was dismissed on 4.6.2014; his second bail application, being criminal miscellaneous No. 1735- B/2015 was dismissed vide order dated 15.5.2015 and the third bail application, being criminal miscellaneous No. 3819-B/2015, was dismissed as not pressed vide order dated 29.6.2015. In this manner, as it appears from the case record, Criminal Misc. No. 4327-B/2015 was the fourth bail application, which was dismissed by the High Court through the impugned order dated 29.7.2015.
3. We have heard the arguments of learned ASC for the petitioner. He has contended that the petitioner is entitled for grant of bail, as compliance of the directions issued by the High Court in its orders dated 4.6.2014 and 15.5.2015, regarding expeditious disposal of the criminal case against the petitioner, has not been made and further filing of direct complaint by respondent No. 2 has furnished a fresh ground to the petitioner to move another bail application.
4. We have scanned the material placed on record and are unable to subscribe to such submissions of the learned ASC. Neither non-compliance of the directions issued to the Trial Court to conclude the trial expeditiously or within some specified time can be considered as valid ground for grant of bail to an accused, being alien to the provisions of section 497, Cr.P.C., nor filing of direct complaint will have any bearing as regards earlier bail refusing orders, which have attained finality, unless some fresh ground could be shown by the petitioner for consideration of his request for grant of bail afresh, which is lacking in the present case.
5. This being the position, leave is refused and this petition is dismissed.