Anticipatory Bails

Under Indian criminal law, there is a provision for anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Law Commission of India in its 41st report recommended incorporating this provision in procedure code. [1]This provision allows a person to seek bail in anticipation of an arrest on accusation of having committed a non-bailable offence.[2]
On filing anticipatory bail, the opposing party is notified about the bail application and the opposition can then contest the bail application in court (public prosecutor can also be used to do this).
Anticipatory bail is a direction to release a person on bail, issued even before the person is arrested.
Contents

• Eligibility
• Conditions
• Qualification
• Cancellation
• See also
• References

Eligibility
When any person apprehends that there is a move to get him arrested on false or trumped up charges, or due to enmity with someone, or he fears that a false case is likely to be built up against him, he has the right to move the court of Session or the High Court under section 438 of the code of Criminal Procedure for grant of bail in the event of his arrest, and the court may, if it thinks fit, direct that in the event of such arrest, he shall be released on bail. Anticipatory Bail can be granted by Sessions Court, High Court and Supreme Court.

Conditions
The High Court or the court of session may include such conditions in the light of the facts of the particular case, as it may think fit, including:
• a condition that the person shall make himself available for interrogation by the police officer as and when required;
• a condition that the person shall not, directly or indirectly, make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the court or to any police officer;
• a condition that the person shall not leave India without the previous permission of the court.
If such person is thereafter arrested, and is prepared either at the time of arrest or at any time while in the custody of such officer to give bail, he shall be released on bail and the magistrate taking cognizance of such offence decides that warrant should be issued against that person, he shall issue a bailable warrant in conformity with the direction of the court granting anticipatory bail.[2] Supreme Court while dealing the case of Sidhram Mhetre, held certain conditions imposed by High Court to be not required & contrary to provisions of anticipatory bail.[4]
Qualification

The applicant must show by disclosing special facts and events that he has reason to believe, that he may be arrested for a non-bailable offence so that the court may take care to specify the offence or offences in respect of which alone the order will be effective and it is not a blanket order covering all other offences.[2]

Cancellation
An accused is free on bail as long as the same is not cancelled. The High Court or Court of Session may direct that any person who has been released on bail be arrested and commit him to custody on an application moved by the complainant or the prosecution.

ANTICIPATORY BAILS
VED LEGAL deals with various criminal matters in and across Pune. It is expertise in LAW OF BAILS. For better understanding the details about LAW OF BAILS has given mentioned herein below:-
The bail under CRPC is divided according to the types of offence alleged against the accused.
The basic rules for grant or denial of bail may simply be summarized as:

1. There are only two kinds of offences under the criminal law, bailable offence and non-bailable offence.

2. In case of bailable offences, as per section 436 CrPC (criminal procedure code 1973) bail has to be granted to the accused as it is a matter of right for the accused to demand and be granted bail.

3. In case of non-bailable offences, as per section 437 CrPC and Section 439 CrPC, the grant or refusal of the bail is a matter of discretion of the court which means bail can be granted by the court. Only condition is that it cannot be demanded as a right by the accused.

4. The section 437 CRPC (Code of Criminal Procedure 1973) lays out certain basic criteria for the court while exercising its judicial discretion for grant or refusal of the bail in case of non-bailable offences, some of the criteria are the nature of offence, past criminal record, the probability of guilt, etc. and carves out exceptions for minors, women etc.

5. Section 438 CRPC also lays down the concept of Anticipatory Bail where the accused may seek bail if they apprehend arrest, so as to prevent even the otherwise brief incarceration. It must be noted that the grant or refusal of anticipatory bail is also a matter of discretion for the court.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has mentioned several other criteria as factors to be taken into consideration when granting bail in non-bailable offences, these factors includes but not limited to probability of recommission of the offence, possibility of frightening witnesses, probability of evidences being tampered, the seniority of the accused and his consequent circles of influence in affecting the investigation if released.

Landmark cases on the factors to be taken into consideration while hearing bail application are State through CBI v. Amarmani Tripathi AIR 2005 SC 3490, Gurcharan Singh v. State of Delhi, AIR 1978 SC 179. There is catena of judgement which specifically states that “bail is a rule and jail is the exception”. That means apart from the above noted factors ‘bail not jail’ should be the thumb rule, implying that as far as possible the Courts must try and grant bail and only in exceptional circumstances can bail be refused.