Md Imran @ D.C. Guddu v. State of Jharkhand; 2026 INSC 36 - S.319 CrPC - Bail - Tests

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What is the specific legal standard and 'test' that a court must apply when considering a bail plea for a person added as an accused under Section 319 of the CrPC 1973?

Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 - Section 319 - Bail- When a person is added as an accused under Section 319 Cr.P.C. and that person is ultimately arrested and prays for bail, the relevant consideration at the end of the court while considering his plea for bail should be the strong and cogent evidence than mere probability of his complicity. The test that has to be applied is one which is more than prima facie case as exercised at the time of framing of charge, but short of satisfaction to an extent that the evidence, if goes unrebutted would lead to conviction. The Court should weigh factors like the nature of the offence, the quality of the evidence against the new accused and the likelihood of the person absconding or tampering with evidence. In other words, the court must be satisfied that there is strong and cogent evidence of the person’s complicity at the threshold i.e. much higher than that required for framing charges against the original accused. (Para 14)