Lal Singh v. State
In the High Court of Delhi
Crl. App. 314/2020
Before Justice S.K. Kait
Decided on June 22, 2020

Relevancy of the Case: Bail application in a case involving property disputes and allegations of forgery and cheating

Statutes and Provisions Involved

• The Information Technology Act, 2000 (Section 65, 66, 66E, 43(i), 43(j))
• The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Section 447, 506, 34)
• The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (Section 3(1), 14(2))

Relevant Facts of the Case

• The dispute between parties existed for 14 years wherein the second response allegedly claimed title over the appellant’s land.
• Due to this dispute, a total of three FIRs had been registered. The complainant (second respondent) has alleged that the appellant and others made casteist remarks, thereby inviting offences under the SC/ST Act.
• The appellant has filed this appeal against the Session Court’s rejection of his bail application.

Prominent Arguments by the Advocates

• The appellant’s counsel argued that the complainant had filed an FIR as a misuse of special legislation. The appellant was in custody for 38 days. The allegations are about trespass and interference with his rights to land.

Opinion of the Bench

• The IO has conducted verification based on photocopies of an incomplete chain of documents. The police is yet to investigate the allegations of forgery and cheating. Hence, the appellant’s custodial interrogation is necessary.

Final Decision

• The bench vacated the interim bail order and dismissed this appeal.

Yagyanseni Acharya, an undergraduate student at VIT School of Law, Chennai, prepared this case summary during her internship with The Cyber Blog India in January/February 2024.