Srinagar, April 24 (GNS): Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday dismissed bail plea by Hilal Rather, son of a former finance minister.
A bench of Justice Puneet Gupta had on April 20 reserved for orders the plea by Hilal, an accused in the Rs 177 crore bank loan fraud case and dismissed it for “being without merit.”
“Keeping in view the fact that the accused faces charges which are of serious nature, the bail cannot be granted on the mere asking of the accused nor can the accused claim bail as a matter of right,” the court . Each case has to be decided on its own merits,” the bench said, adding “The court finds no reason to grant bail to the accused Hilal Rather on medical grounds as pleaded in the application.”
The CBI’s counsel said Hilal’s condition was stable as per the medical reports and there is nothing on the record to suggest that his medical condition can worsen while in jail due to the jail conditions.
“So far as the Medical Reports on the file are concerned, the same cannot be said to be alarming for the accused,” the court observed.
The apprehension raised by Hilal’s counsel that the accused may contact infection or even can infect other inmates of the jail due to the prevailing conditions is not borne out from the record, the court said, as per global news service.
“The court finds no material on record which substantiates the argument of the counsel for the accused. The apprehension of the accused is misplaced as of now,” the court said, adding, “The Jail authorities must be otherwise taking all the measures to keep the jail in hygienic conditions keeping in view the onslaught of COVID-19.”
The court said that the bail cannot be granted on mere assumption that the conditions in the jail are unhygienic and that the accused will suffer for that reason. (GNS)
