Soumen Banejee @ Vitu v. State Of West Bengal

12.07.2022 sdas rejected C.R.M.(DB) No. 2266 of 2022 In Re:- An application for bail under Section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection with Swarupnagar Police Station Case No. 435 of 2018 dated 23.08.2018 under Sections 363/365/325/326/307/364A/120B of the Indian Penal Code. And In Re : Soumen Banerjee @ Vitu ..... petitioner Mr. Sandipan Ganguly, Sr. Adv.

Mr. Karan Dudhwala ... for the petitioner Mr. Rudradipta Nandy, learned APP Ms. Sonali Das ... for the State Learned Counsel appearing for the petitioner submits that the petitioner is in custody for more than three and half years. It is also submitted that there is slow progress in the trial. Co-accuseds are on bail.

Learned Counsel appearing for the State opposes prayer for bail. He submits that the petitioner was identified in the course of test identification parade. Prayer for bail of the coaccuseds have been rejected. We have considered the materials on record. Petitioner was identified in the course of test identification parade. Allegations relate to kidnapping for ransom. Trial is about to commence. Prayer for bail of the petitioners was rejected by a co-ordinate Bench of this Court on merits.

Keeping in mind the aforesaid facts, we are not inclined to grant bail to the petitioner at this stage. The application for bail is, thus, rejected. We direct the trial court to expedite the trial and conclude the same at an early date without granting any unnecessary adjournment to either of the parties. (Ananya Bandyopadhyay, J.) (Joymalya Bagchi, J.)