Personal Liberty Cannot Be Curtailed On Mere Suspicion And Half-Baked Investigation: Madras HC Grants Bail To PMLA Accused

While allowing the bail plea of a man charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Madras High Court reiterated that personal liberty could not be arbitrarily taken away unless in accordance with law. A perusal of the medical reports produced by the petitioner would go to show the severity of the ailment the petitioner has been suffering for years together, the treatment he had been undergoing and the medical intervention he requires at once and the requirement of his personal liberty on health grounds too, which cannot be curtailed on the basis of mere suspicion of his role in the predicate offence and half-baked investigation. Since there was no concrete ground for denial of personal liberty and being satisfied that the petitioner had complied with the twin conditions for granting bail, the court allowed the petition on the condition that the petitioner shall deposit the title deeds of immovable property worth 5 crores and executing a bond for a sum of rupees ten thousand. The petitioner also claimed that three similarly placed persons, who were involved in the alleged offence were granted bail by the court on stringent conditions.