Suresh Kumar Bhikamchand Jain vs State Of Maharashtra & Anr

3. As per the prosecution case, the Petitioner, Suresh Kumar Bhikamchand Jain, is alleged to have misappropriated amounts meant for development of slums in Jalgaon city, when he was functioning as the Minister of Housing and Slum Area Development, as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. Initially, charge-sheet was filed against certain persons claiming to be the contractors and the Vice-President of the Municipal Corporation, Jalgaon. Thereafter, during investigation the Petitioner was arrested on 11th March, 2012, and while charge-sheet was filed against the four other accused persons on 25th April, 2012, a supplementary charge-sheet came to be filed against the Petitioner herein on 1st June, 2012. For a while, the Petitioner was released on interim bail, but upon rejection of his application for bail on merit, he was again taken into custody on 5th July, 2012.

Explanation I. - For the avoidance of doubts, it is hereby declared that, notwithstanding the expiry of the period specified in paragraph (a), the accused shall be detained in custody so long as he does not furnish bail.

14. From the above provision, it would be amply clear that the Magistrate may authorise the detention of an accused person, otherwise than in the custody of the police, beyond a period of 15 days, if he is satisfied that there are adequate grounds for doing so, but no Magistrate is authorised to detain the accused person in custody for a total period exceeding 90 days where the investigation relates to an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term of not less than ten years and 60 days where the investigation relates to any other offence. In other words, if an accused was ready to offer bail, once the stipulated period for the investigation had been completed, then the Magistrate no longer had the authority to extend the period of detention beyond the said period of 90 days and, consequently, he had no option but to release the accused on bail. The language used in Sections 167(2)(a)(i) and (ii) is that on the expiry of the period of 90 days or 60 days, as the case may be, the accused person shall be released on bail, if he is prepared to and does furnish bail. The direction upon the learned Magistrate or the Trial Court is mandatory in nature and any detention beyond the said period would be illegal.

Explanation 2 – The terms on which an adjournment or postponement may be granted include, in appropriate cases, the payment of costs by the prosecution or the accused.”

19. Having regard to the above, we have no hesitation in holding that notwithstanding the fact that the prosecution had not been able to obtain sanction to prosecute the accused, the accused was not entitled to grant of statutory bail since the charge-sheet had been filed well within the period contemplated under Section 167(2)(a)(ii) Cr.P.C. Sanction is an enabling provision to prosecute, which is totally separate from the concept of investigation which is concluded by the filing of the charge-sheet. The two are on separate footings.

20. In that view of the matter, the Special Leave Petition deserves to be and is hereby dismissed.

...................CJI.

Dated: February 13, 2013.