Failure by person released on bail or bond to appear in Court
Full Text
Whoever, having been charged with an offence and released on bail bond or on bond, fails without sufficient cause (the burden of proving which shall lie upon him), to appear in Court in accordance with the terms of the bail or bond, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Explanation.—The punishment under this section is—
(a) in addition to the punishment to which the offender would be liable on a conviction for the offence with which he has been charged; and
(b) without prejudice to the power of the Court to order forfeiture of the bond.
Plain English Summary
Punishes anyone who is released on bail or bond and fails to appear in court as required without sufficient cause.
Key Legal Elements
- The accused must have been charged with an offence and released on a bail bond or personal bond.
- The accused must have failed to appear in court in accordance with the terms of the bond.
- The failure to appear must be without sufficient cause (burden of proof is on the accused).
Punishment
Imprisonment of either description up to 1 year, or fine, or both (in addition to original offense punishment).
Practical Note
This section addresses bail jumping. The key aspect is that the burden of proving 'sufficient cause' for non-appearance lies on the accused. The court can also forfeit the bond and proceed with the trial of the original offence separately, as the punishment here is cumulative. It is a cognizable and non-bailable offence.
हिंदी पाठ
जो कोई, किसी अपराध का आरोप लगाए जाने पर और जमानत पत्र पर या अपने बंधपत्र पर छोड़ दिए जाने पर, जमानत या बंधपत्र के निबंधनों के अनुसार न्यायालय में पर्याप्त कारणों के बिना (जो साबित करने का भार उस पर होगा), उपस्थित होने में असफल रहता है, वह दोनों में से किसी भांति के कारावास से, जिसकी अवधि एक वर्ष तक की हो सकेगी, या जुर्माने से, या दोनों से, दंडित किया जाएगा।
स्पष्टीकरण—इस धारा के अधीन दंड—
(क) उस सजा के अतिरिक्त होगा जिसके लिए अपराधी उस अपराध के लिए दोषसिद्धि पर उत्तरदायी होगा जिसके लिए उस पर आरोप लगाया गया है; और
(ख) न्यायालय की बंधपत्र को जब्त करने की शक्ति पर प्रतिकूल प्रभाव डाले बिना होगा।