Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Sujit Rajaram Shinde, a resident of Sangli, who was arrested in 2022 in connection with an alleged murder case. The court, presided over by Justice Madhav J. Jamdar, observed that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty and cited Supreme Court rulings while making the decision.
Shinde was granted bail on furnishing a personal representation bond of ₹50,000. Justice Jamdar referred to two Supreme Court judgments—Javed Gulam Nabi Shaikh vs. State of Maharashtra & Anr and Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia v. State of Punjab (1980). While discussing the Javed Shaikh case, the court remarked on the right to a speedy trial and emphasized that bail should not be withheld as a punishment.
“Howsoever serious a crime may be, an accused has a right to a speedy trial as enshrined under the Constitution of India. Over time, trial courts and High Courts have forgotten the well-settled principle that bail is not to be withheld as punishment,” the order read.
The court further stressed that the purpose of bail is to secure an accused’s attendance at trial, not to serve as a form of pre-trial punishment. Advocate Satyavrat Joshi, appearing for Shinde along with Advocate Reena Prajapati, argued that this was Shinde’s second bail application.
“The applicant has been in custody since September 29, 2022. Apart from framing charges, there has been no progress in the trial. Out of six accused, five have already been granted bail—two by this court and three by the Sessions Court. Shinde is the only one still in jail,” Adv Joshi argued.
The defense also stated that the alleged motive for the crime was that the deceased had been harassing Shinde’s cousin sister.
The prosecution, however, strongly opposed the bail application. It argued that Shinde had committed the offense barely 20 days after being released on bail in a previous case. The State submitted an affidavit detailing the crime, stating that on September 28, 2022, at around 5:30-6:00 PM, three unidentified men on a Splendor motorcycle (without a number plate) attacked and killed Ajit Baburao Angadgiri near Padmal Fata on Mhasoba Mandir to Madhav Nagar Road. The attackers stabbed him in the chest, waist, and back, leaving him fatally injured.
The affidavit also mentioned that the accused threatened to kill a farm laborer, Suraj Sharma, who was present at the crime scene.
Despite the prosecution’s arguments, the court maintained that Shinde remains an accused, not a convict, and that the fundamental principle of presumption of innocence must be upheld. Consequently, the court granted him bail while ensuring compliance with necessary legal conditions.
