Vikas Vinayak Khanvelkar vs. Directorate Of Enforcement

Held

The Court allowed the Criminal Petition, granting bail to the petitioner. The petitioner is to be enlarged on bail upon executing a personal bond of Rs. 50,000/- with two sureties each for the like sum, to the satisfaction of the I Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Visakhapatnam. Upon release, the petitioner must cooperate with the investigating agency and attend before them once a week, specifically on Fridays between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Furthermore, the petitioner is prohibited from leaving the country without prior permission from the competent Court, given that their passport was seized by the CBCID. The Court did not expressly leave any issues undecided.

Facts

This is an advance order in Criminal Petition No. 2907 of 2023 before the High Court. The petitioner sought bail in connection with Crime No. 29 of 2021 registered by the CID police station, A.P., Amaravati, Mangalagiri. The petitioner's passport had been seized by the CBCID in relation to this crime. The Court considered the bail application and issued directions regarding the petitioner's release and subsequent conduct.

Key Issues

The primary issue before the Court was whether to grant bail to the petitioner in connection with Crime No. 29 of 2021. The Court had to decide on the conditions for bail, including the amount of the personal bond and sureties, and any restrictions on the petitioner's movement. The Court also considered the seizure of the petitioner's passport and the need for prior permission to leave the country. The judgment does not explicitly state arguments from the revenue or state, implying this was a bail application where the focus is on the petitioner's plea and the investigating agency's response.