Man Accused In 16-Tonne Iron-Rod Dacoity Gets Bail Again After Missing Court, As Karnataka HC Says He Has Been “Sufficiently Punished”

The petitioner, Accused No. 2, sought regular bail under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in a split-up case arising from Crime No. 105 of 2014.

The prosecution alleged that the accused threatened two persons and committed dacoity of iron rods worth approximately ₹7,00,000

The petitioner had previously been granted regular bail but failed to appear before the committal court after the charge sheet was filed.

His presence was secured on 1 August 2026, when he was remanded to judicial custody; the Sessions Court subsequently rejected his bail application

The petitioner submitted that he had no other criminal antecedents and that witnesses in the case against the other accused had turned hostile.

Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, provides the basis for the High Court’s consideration of the petitioner’s application for regular bail.

The alleged offences were punishable under Sections 342 and 395 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The Court applied no cited precedent; it considered the petitioner’s prior grant of bail on the merits, his subsequent non-appearance, and the need to impose conditions to ensure attendance and prevent interference with the prosecution.

The Court noted that the petitioner had previously been granted bail on the merits and that his later custody arose from his failure to appear in court, rather than a fresh determination against bail on the merits.

Although the petitioner had defaulted in attending court, the Court considered that he had been sufficiently punished for that mistake and concluded that continued detention was not warranted.

It therefore granted bail subject to conditions requiring attendance at trial, non-interference with witnesses, and regular reporting to the police.