CrPC 439 — Special powers of High Court or Court of Session regarding bail

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Statutory text

(1) A  High  Court  or  Court  of Session may direct,—
(a) that  any  person  accused  of an  offence  and  in  custody  be  released  on  bail,  and  if  the  offence  is  of  the nature  specified in sub-section (3) of  section 437, may impose any condition which it considers necessary for the purposes mentioned in that sub-section;
(b) that any condition imposed by a Magistrate when releasing any person on bail be set aside or modified:
Provided that the High Court or the Court of Session shall, before granting bail to a person who is accused of an
offence  which  is  triable  exclusively  by  the  Court  of  Session  or  which,  though  not  so  triable,  is  punishable  with

imprisonment  for life,  give  notice  of the  application  for bail to the  Public Prosecutor unless it is, for reasons to be recorded in writing, of opinion that it is not practicable to give such notice.

[Provided further that the High Court or the Court of Session shall, before granting bail to a person who  is  accused  of  an  offence  triable  under  sub-section  (3)  of section  376 or section  376AB or section
376DA or section 376DB of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), give notice of the application for bail to
the  Public  Prosecutor  within  a  period  of  fifteen  days  from  the  date  of  receipt  of  the  notice  of  such application.]

[(1A) The presence of the informant or any person authorised by him shall be obligatory at the time of  hearing  of  the  application  for  bail  to  the  person  under  sub-section  (3)  of section  376 or section
376AB or section 376DA or section DB of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).]
(2) A  High  Court  or  Court  of  Session  may  direct  that  any  person  who  has  been  released  on  bail  under  this Chapter be arrested and commit him to custody.
STATE AMENDMENT Assam.—
439-A. Power to grant bail.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Code, no person—
(a) who, being accused  or suspected of committing an offence under any of the following Sections, namely, —Sections  120B,  121,  121A,  122,  123,  124A,  153A,  302, 303, 304,  307,  326,  333,  363,  364,
365,  367,  368,  392,  394,  395,  396,  399,  412,  431,  436,  449  and  450  of  the  Indian  Penal  Code,  1860,
Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Indian Explosive  Substances Act, 1908, and Sections  25,26, 27, 28, 29, 30
and 31 of the Arms Act, 1959, is arrested or appears or is brought before a court; or
(b)  who,  having  any  reason  to  believe  that  he  may  be  arrested  on an accusation  of committing  an
offence as specified in clause (a), has applied to the High Court or the Court of Sessions for a direction
for his release on bail in the event of his arrest, shall be released on bail or as the case may be, directed to be released on bail, except on one or more of the following grounds, namely: —
(i)  that  the  Court  including  the  High Court  or  the  Court  of  Session for  reasons  to  be  recorded  in
writing is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that such person is not guilty of any
offence specified in clause (a);
(ii) that such person is under the age of sixteen years or a woman or a sick or an infirm person;
(iii) that the court including the High Court or the Court of Sessions for reasons to be recorded in
writing is satisfied that there are exceptional and sufficient grounds to release or direct the release of the accused on bail.”
[Vide Assam Act 3 of 1984, s. 5.]

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