Delhi court rejects theft accused’s bail, says case exception to ‘bail is the rule’

NEW DELHI: A court here has rejected the bail plea of a man accused of snatching a mobile phone, saying the matter was an aberration to the principle of ‘bail is the rule’.

Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing the bail application of Vikas Rawat who was accused of snatching a mobile phone in the Madhu Vihar locality.

In its order passed on October 19, the judge said, “The court agrees with the submission of the (accused’s) counsel that bail is the rule and jail is the exception but the court finds the present case in the exception.”

The bench noted that of the two accused arrested in the case, it was not known who was the bike rider and who was in the pillion when the theft occurred.

The judge also said that according to the investigating officer’s (IO) report, Rawat was earlier involved in a similar case.

“It is the point of view of the court that the first-time offender should be treated with a lenient view and if the offender repeats the offence, the court should deal with him strictly,” the judge said.

“It is also the view of the court that even in the most heinous offences an accused may be granted bail if the offence has been committed under compulsion or in a particular set of circumstances and it appears to the court that the accused will not keep on repeating the same offence,” he added.

The bench said in the present case, Rawat was nabbed immediately after committing the offence by a police officer who chased him.

“Further, it is more important that the chargesheet is yet to be filed and unless the investigation is complete, the court doesn’t deem it appropriate to grant the desired relief to the applicant. Accordingly, the bail application is dismissed,” the judge said.