National

Cite reasons, no casual bail for serious offences: apex court

New Delhi: In cases of serious offences such as murder, a court cannot grant bail casually without considering the pros and cons of releasing the accused, the Supreme Court has said.

Citing earlier rulings of the court, a Bench consisting of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P. Sathasivam said factors such as the nature of accusation, severity of punishment, reasonable apprehension of the accused tampering with evidence and prima facie satisfaction of the court should be considered while granting bail.

The Bench was quashing bail granted by the Allahabad High Court to a man sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case.

The High Court had provided bail despite opposition from the family of the deceased.

The family filed an appeal in the apex court The accused had sought bail on the ground that a decision on his appeal against the award of death sentence in the case would take a long time. — PTI

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