Bail may be granted where an accused was omitted from the FIR, no specific overt act is attributed, and investigation is complete.

The appellant, arrayed as A.8, appealed under Section 14-A(2) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, against the Sessions Court’s order refusing bail.

The case arose from an attack in which Kanal died and Harith was injured; the prosecution alleged that the appellant and others attacked them with stones and wooden logs.

The appellant was not named in the FIR, was added as A.8 in the final report, and had no specific overt act attributed to him.

The investigation was complete and the final report had been filed; the appellant had been in custody since 20 July 2026.

Harith, the injured victim, stated that he had no objection to bail.

Whether the trial court’s refusal to grant bail to the appellant should be set aside, having regard to his alleged role and the circumstances of the case.

Whether the appellant should be released on bail subject to conditions.

Section 14-A(2) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, provides the appellate basis invoked to challenge the order refusing bail.

The prosecution’s altered charges included Sections 191(2), 191(3), 126(2), 296(b), 115(2), 118(1), 103(1) and 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, read with Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act.

The judgment cited no precedent and did not set out a broader bail doctrine; it determined the appeal on the circumstances recorded in the case.

The Court considered that the appellant had not been named in the FIR, no specific overt act was attributed to him, the investigation was complete, and the final report had been filed.

It also noted his period of custody and that the injured victim did not oppose bail.

On these circumstances, the Court concluded that bail was appropriate, subject to stringent conditions.

Conditions included execution of a bond for ₹20,000 with two sureties for like sums, submission of identity and address proof, filing an undertaking not to engage in future offences, and daily reporting to the trial court at 10:30 a.m. until further orders, except on days when his appearance was required there.

The police were permitted to seek cancellation of bail upon breach of any condition.