In Brief
A wife sought the release of her husband on default bail after he was arrested during a CBI investigation into alleged corruption offences. Although he was initially not named in the FIR, supplementary chargesheets were filed just before the statutory period for remand expired, preventing his release. The Supreme Court held that incompleted investigations cannot justify filing chargesheets merely to avoid default bail. Such incomplete chargesheets do not extinguish the statutory right to default bail under Section 167(2) CrPC. This right is a fundamental right flowing from Article 21 of the Constitution. Trial courts cannot continue remand beyond prescribed time limits. The judgment strikes down the practice of filing fragmented chargesheets to circumvent statutory protections for accused persons.
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