IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Criminal Misc. No. M-12872 of 2009 Date of decision : July 24, 2009 Gurpreet Singh alias Mangal Singh ....Petitioner versus State of Punjab ....Respondent Coram: Hon'ble Mr. Justice L.N. Mittal Present : Mr. JBS Gill, Advocate, for the petitioner Mr. Gaurav Garg Dhuriwala, AAG Punjab L.N. Mittal, J. (Oral) Cost amount pursuant to order of the preceding date has been deposited. Gurpreet Singh alias Mangal Singh has filed this petition for bail in case FIR No. 136 dated 24.5.1999, under section 392 read with section 34 IPC, Police Station Sadar, Hoshiarpur. According to the prosecution version, complainant Raj Kumar and Pakhar Ram while going on a scooter were intercepted by two persons on another scooter who robbed the complainant and his companion of Rs 1,40,000/- on pistol point. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the case file. Criminal Misc. No. M-12872 of 2009 -2- Learned counsel for the petitioner contended that name of the petitioner appeared for the first time in supplementary statement of Pakhar Ram recorded ten months after the occurrence. However, robbers who were unknown could not have been named in the FIR. The petitioner is said to be one of the two robbers. The other alleged robber Gurdev Singh has since been convicted and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for seven years. He is said to be on bail in appeal filed by him. The petitioner, however, absconded and was declared proclaimed offender. He could be arrested on 2.11.2007 only i.e. more than 8 years of the occurrence. Keeping in view the nature of offence which is on the increase and also the fact that the petitioner remained absconding for 8 years, I do not find it to be a fit case for releasing the petitioner on bail. The bail petition is accordingly dismissed. However, since the petitioner is in custody since 2.11.2007 i.e. for more than one year and 8 months, the trial court is directed to expedite the trial. ( L.N. Mittal ) July 24, 2009 Judge 'dalbir'