Supreme Court grants bail with strict conditions in land fraud case

It matters to citizens as it illustrates the court's approach to balancing the right to bail against the prosecution's concerns about the accused's conduct and criminal history.

Who it concerns: The order concerns Raju Prasad (Appellant), the State of Rajasthan (Respondent), and the jurisdictional trial court responsible for imposing specific bail conditions.

What the document says

• The Supreme Court allowed the appeal and set aside the High Court's order rejecting bail.
• The appellant was ordered to be released on bail.
• The specific terms and conditions of the bail are to be determined by the jurisdictional trial court.
• The appellant is required to appear before the trial court on all hearing dates unless exempted for specific reasons.
• The court noted the appellant had been in incarceration for more than 11 months and that the trial was progressing.
• The court stated that strict conditions would suffice to allay the prosecution's apprehensions regarding the appellant's potential to commit similar acts.

Also in the document

• The underlying FIR was registered under Sections 318(4), 338, 326(3), and 61(2)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
• The prosecution alleged the appellant was an attesting witness to a forged Power of Attorney and subsequent land sales.
• The prosecution argued the appellant had criminal antecedents and was part of a syndicate, while the defense argued that in one of four prior cases, the appellant received the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act and no cheating was alleged in any of them.
• The order was passed by Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi on July 13, 2026.