In Brief
An accused arrested for offences under IPC Section 420 sought default bail after 101 days when investigation remained incomplete. The High Court granted default bail but imposed conditions requiring deposit of Rs. 8 lakhs, relying on undertakings given during earlier regular bail proceedings. The Supreme Court held that while an accused has an indefeasible right to default bail under Section 167(2) CrPC once statutory periods expire, no deposit conditions can be imposed. Previous undertakings in regular bail cannot justify such conditions. The Court allowed the appeal, quashing the deposit condition and moderating the daily reporting requirement to reporting only when called by investigators.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.