The Allahabad high court has rejected the second bail applications of former MP Kapil Muni Karwariya, former MLC Surya Bhan Karwariya and co-accused Ramchandra Tripathi alias Kallu. All three are currently serving life imprisonment in connection with the high-profile 1996 murder of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Jawahar Yadav, popularly known as Jawahar Pandit.
A division bench comprising Justice Salil Kumar Rai and Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal passed the order while hearing the criminal appeals filed by the Karwariya brothers and Tripathi.
The first bail applications of the convicts were dismissed on May 9, 2023. Notably, former MLA Uday Bhan Karwariya, another accused in the case, did not file a second bail plea as his sentence was recently commuted by the Uttar Pradesh government.
On August 13, 1996, Jawahar Pandit was killed in broad daylight in the Civil Lines area of Prayagraj using an AK-47 assault rifle.
In 2019, the trial court convicted the Karwariya brothers and their accomplices and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
In their second bail plea, the appellants cited their lengthy incarceration and argued that their appeals had remained pending for over two years.
Rejecting these grounds, the high court observed that since May 2023, it had consistently urged the appellants’ counsel to argue the main appeals on merit. However, the defence repeatedly sought adjournments and pressed only for short-term bail applications.
{{/usCountry}}Rejecting these grounds, the high court observed that since May 2023, it had consistently urged the appellants’ counsel to argue the main appeals on merit. However, the defence repeatedly sought adjournments and pressed only for short-term bail applications.
{{/usCountry}}In its order dated October 5, the bench observed, “Both the gravity of the offence and the deliberate conduct of the appellants to avoid final hearings disentitled them from obtaining bail on the ground of incarceration period alone.”