In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed a problematic practice in subordinate courts where accused persons, granted interim pre-arrest bail by higher courts, would surrender to trial courts and seek regular bail while the pre-arrest bail petitions remained pending. The Court held that such conduct constitutes abuse of process. The regular bail granted by trial courts effectively renders meaningless any subsequent dismissal of the pre-arrest bail petition by the superior court. The Court directed discontinuation of this practice, recalled its interim orders and the trial court's bail order, and required the accused to surrender within fifteen days. The Court instructed that instructions be sent to all judicial academies to discourage such applications in the future."
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