Supreme Court of India (Division Bench (DB)- Two Judge)

Special Leave Petition (Crl.), 7733 of 2014, Judgment Date: Nov 14, 2014

                                                              Non-Reportable

                        IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

                       CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

              SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CRIMINAL) NO.7733 OF 2014


ABDUL AZEEZ P V. AND OTHERS                                  …. Petitioners

                                   Versus

NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY                                 …. Respondent


                                  O R D E R

1.    The petitioners herein are accused Nos.1 to  21  in  Crime  No.276  of
2013 of Mayyil Police Station, registered under Sections  143,  147,  153(B)
r/w Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code, u/s 5(1) r/w Section  25(1)(a)  of
the Arms Act, u/s 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act and under  Section
18  of  the  Unlawful  Activities  Prevention  Act   (“UAPA”   for   short).
Subsequently Section 153(A) of IPC and Section 13(1)(a)(b)  and  Section  18
of the UAPA were also invoked and  the  case  was  transferred  to  National
Investigating Agency (for short ‘NIA’) for further investigation.

2.    The petitioners were arrested on 24.04.2013  and  since  then  are  in
custody.  After completion of investigation charge-sheet was  filed  by  the
NIA on 19.10.2013 against the petitioners.  The  charge-sheet,  inter  alia,
stated the allegations against each of the petitioners and the materials  on
the basis of which  such  allegations  were  leveled.   It  also  stated  in
paragraphs 18.2 and 18.3 that requisite sanction under Sections 18  and  18A
of the UAPA was accorded by the Ministry  of  Home  Affairs,  Government  of
India, vide order dated 17.10.2013 and also that sanction  under  Section  7
of the Explosive Substances Act was accorded  by  the  District  Magistrate,
Kannur vide his order dated 15.10.2013.  In paragraph 18.6  of  the  charge-
sheet it was stated to the following effect:
“Foreign bank transaction details are to be  collected  and  the  call  Data
Records  have  to  be  further  analysed.   Records  pertaining  to   Thanal
Foundation  Trust  need  to  be  collected  and  verified.   Hence,  further
investigation  is  inevitable  and  is  in  progress.   Additional  list  of
witnesses,  additional  statements  of  witnesses  and  additional  list  of
documents will be filed in  due  course.   Hence  it  is  also  prayed  that
further investigation u/s 173(8) Cr.P.C. may kindly be permitted.”

3.     The petitioners filed Criminal M.C.  No.100  of  2013  on  22.10.2013
before the learned Special  Court,  NIA  Cases  submitting  that  they  were
entitled to get statutory bail under Section 167(2) of the Code of  Criminal
Procedure (for short “ Cr.P.C.”)  inasmuch as the investigating  agency  had
failed to file the final report within 180 days.  It was  further  submitted
that the  bank  account  details  and  mobile  phone  call  details  of  the
petitioners, as stated in the charge-sheet itself, were yet to  be  verified
and that the charge-sheet filed on 19.10.2013 was not  a  final  report   as
contemplated under Section 173(2) Cr.P.C.  The submissions were  negated  by
the learned Special Court by its order dated  04.11.2013  holding  that  the
petitioners were  not  entitled  to  statutory  bail  under  Section  167(2)
Cr.P.C., which view was challenged by  filing  Criminal  Appeal  No.1711  of
2013 in the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam.  The High Court went  through
paragraph Nos.17.1., 17.2, 17.3 and 17.8 of the charge-sheet and found  that
the materials so disclosed and adverted to  in  the  charge-sheet  did  show
that it was a final report.  The High Court,  thus,  dismissed  the  appeal.
The present special leave petition has been  filed  to  challenge  the  view
taken by the High Court.

4.    Having gone through the charge-sheet, we are not persuaded to  take  a
different view.  The materials adverted to show that it was a  final  report
on the facets investigated into by the investigating  agency.   Furthermore,
the requisite sanctions as required under Sections 18 and 18A  of  the  UAPA
and so also under Section 7  of  the  Explosive  Substances  Act  were  also
accorded by the concerned authorities.  The  charge-sheet  so  filed  before
the learned Special Court was complete in all respects so as to  enable  the
learned Special Court to take cognizance  in  the  matter.   Merely  because
certain facets of the matter called for further investigation  it  does  not
deem such report anything  other  than  a  final  report.   In  our  opinion
Section 167(2) of  Cr.P.C.  stood  fully  complied  with  and  as  such  the
petitioners are not entitled to  statutory  bail  under  Section  167(2)  of
Cr.P.C.

5.    The special leave petition is, therefore, dismissed.

                                                               ………………………..J.
                                                            (Dipak Misra)


                                                               ………………………..J.
                                                       (Uday Umesh Lalit)


New Delhi,
November 14, 2014
-----------------------
4