Holding

A retracted confessional statement under Section 32 of POTA, even if not withdrawn within a reasonable time, may be considered as evidence, and bail cannot be granted in the present circumstances.

Summary

The appellant, Maulana Naseeruddin, was charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA) and the IPC for allegedly conspiring to murder Hindu leaders by training youths in Pakistan. A confessional statement was recorded by the DCP under Section 32 of POTA on 7 November 2004, which the appellant retracted after about 40 days. The Special POTA Court rejected his bail application, a decision affirmed by the Gujarat High Court, which held that even a retracted confession could be considered as evidence for bail purposes and that the retraction was not made within a reasonable time. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whether the retracted confession could be treated as substantial evidence and whether bail could be granted. The Court concluded that the special court’s order was sound, the retracted confession remained relevant, and the circumstances did not warrant bail. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed, and the trial was urged to proceed expeditiously.

Issues considered

Whether a confessional statement recorded under Section 32 of POTA, once retracted after a delay, can be treated as relevant substantial evidence for the purpose of bail.
Whether the timing of the retraction of a confession affects its admissibility and the grant of bail.
Whether the Special POTA Court's refusal to grant bail can be interfered with by a higher court.

Legislation cited

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. 151, s. 164
Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 120(8), s. 121, s. 122, s. 123, s. 124(A)
Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002s. 20, s. 21(2)b, s. 22(3)(a)(b), s. 3(1)ab, s. 32, s. 3(3), s. 4

Subjects

bailconfessional statementretractionPOTAterrorismconspiracyspecial courtevidence

Judgment

MAULANA NASEERUDDlN MOHD. HANEEFUDDlN A
v.
STATE OF GUJARAT

JULY 17, 2007

[DR. ARIJIT PASAYA T AND LOKESHWAR SlNGH PANTA, JJ.] B

Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002:

s. 32--Conspiracy to commit murder of Hindu leaders-Confession
recorded by DCP-Retracted after 40 days-Bail sought on the ground that C
retracted confession cannot be treated as relevant substantial evidence-
Rejected by special Court and High Court-On appeal, held: Considering
the various factual aspects highlighted by Courts below, not a fit case to
grant bail.

Prosecution case was that appellant and others, had hatched conspiracy
D
. in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad to commit murder of Hindu leaders through
boys by imparting them training in arms in Pakistan. The complaint was filed
for offence punishable under Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Prevention of
Terrorism Act, 2002 (POT A).
E
The appellant was released on bail in another offence at Hyderabad on
health ground. Thereafter he was produced before special POTA Court on
2.11.2004 and was remanded till 9.11.2004. A confessional statement was
recorded on 7.11.2004 by the DCP. The same was retracted after 40 days.
Charge sheet qua the appellant was filed in special POTA Court The appellant
moved an application for bail However, it was rejected by Special POTA Judge. ' F
Appellant filed appeal before the High Court.

The High Court found that the special Court had elaborately dealt with
various aspects of the case relating to appellant; that during the course of '
investigation confessional statement was recorded by DCP, an authorized
officer under s. 32 oftbe POTA which is part of the charge sheet which was G
retracted after about 40 days by sending letter to the Special POTA Court ,
through the jail authorities; that even if the confessional statement recorded
under s. 32 of POT A was retracted, same can be considered as a piece of ,
evidence at the time of deciding the bail application; that the retraction was
385 fl
. "'

386 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2007] 8 S.C.R.

A not done within the stipulated time and that the Special Court was justified in
,_.,,, /
refusing the bail application. Aggrieved appellant filed the present appeal.

Dismissing the appeal, the Court

HELD: I. Order of the Special Court, POT A as affirmed by the High
B Court cannot be faulted and no interference is called for. tpara 141 (389-G)

2. The Special POT A Court had directed the jail authority to refer to
the appellant to Civil Hospital and on advice of the expert to get him examined ,A

and if required, admit him to the Ci,·il Hospital for the period as ·may be
prescribed by doctors. The experts have expressed the view that he can be
c treated as an outdoor patient by examining him at the Civil Hospital.
(Para 11) (389-D, E)

3. It is no doubt true that there is no time statutorily fixed during which
the confessional statement can be retracted; but it has to be done within a
. reasonable time. !Para 12) (389-E, FJ
D
4. Considering the various factual aspects highlighted by the trial Court
and the High Court, it is not a fit case where bail can be granted to the
appellant. (Para 13) (389-F)

CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No. 904 of
E 2007.

From the Judgment & Order dated 20.04.2006 of the High Court of
Gujarat at Ahmedabad in Criminal Appeat'No. 1546 of2005.

Kamini Jaiswal, Sunita Dwivedi, Nitya Ramakrishnan, B.B. Chauhan, K.
F Krishna Kumar and M.A. Chinnaswamy for the Appellant. ~

Hemantika Wahi and Pinky Behera for the Respondent.
.,
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

G DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT,J. I. Leave granted.

2. Challenge in this appeal is to the order passed by a Division Bench
of the Gujarat High Court dismissing the criminal Appeal filed by the appellant.
~
The said appeal related to the rejection of prayer for bail in connection with >
Crime Register No. I-6 of 2003 registered with DCB (Crime Branch) Police
H
MAULANANASEERUDDINMOHD.HANEEFUDDIN•·.STATEOFGUJARAT[PASAYAT,J] 387

Station, Ahmedabad. A
3. Factual position in a nutshell is as follows:

An FIR was lodged on 4.4.2003 with DCB Police Station, Ahmedabad,
alleging that a conspiracy was hatched by Mufti Sufiyan and Rasulkhan Party
at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad to commit murder of Hindu leaders through B
boys by imparting them training in anns in Pakistan. The complaint was filed
for the alleged commission of offences punishable under Sections 120(8), 121,
12 l(A), 122, 123 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (in short 'IPC') and Sections
25( I )(b ),(c), 27 and 29 of the Anns Act, 1959 (in short 'Anns Act'). Thereafter
on 19.4.2003, in pursuance of report of police Inspector, Mr. M.M. Vaghela,'
Sections 3(1 )ab, 3(3), 4, 20, 21(2)b, 22(3)(a)(b) of Prevention ofTerrorism Act, C
2002 (in short 'POTA') were added. The charge sheet was filed in POTA Court.
qua the co-accused on 10.9.2003 wherein 39 accused were shown as arrested
and 43 accused as absconding. Confessional statements (28 in number) were
recorded during the remand period and statements of 43 witnesses were
taken. On 21.1.2004, supplementary charge sheet was filed showing 8 accused D
including 7 absconding accused of first charge sheet as arrested and 7 new
accused were named as wanted and 5 statements under Section 164 of Code
of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (in short 'Cr.P.C.') were recorded and confessional
statements of 8 accused were attached. The appellant filed Special Criminal
Application No. 377 of 2004 in the High Court for quashing of proceedings
which, according to the appellant is pending till date. The appellant was E
released on bail in another offence at Hyderabad on health ground. Thereafter
on 30.10.2004 he was arrested in connection with the present offence by the
Gujarat Police. He was produced before Special POTA Court on 2.11.2004 and
was remanded till 9 .11.2004. Request for further remand was rejected and the
, appellant was sent to judicial custody. Charge sheet qua the appellant was , F
filed in Special POT A Court on 27.1.2005. The appellant moved an application
for bail being Cr!. Misc. Appln. No. 762 of2005. However, it was rejected by
the learned Special (POTA) Judge, vide order dated 24.5.2005. Questioning the
same, appeal was filed before the High Court.

4. Before the High Court, it was contended that there is no evidence G
against the present appellant except the alleged confessional statement
recorded on 7.112004 by the DCP. The confessional statement, it was contended,
is unsustainable in law and it was neither in the language known to the
appellant nor was it in his hand writing. The confessional statement was
recorded in Hindi. In any event, the confessional statement was retracted by H
388 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2007] 8 S.C.R.
/
A the appellant which goes to show that the said confessional statement is '""
concocted with the sole object to involve the appellant falsely in the offence
and hence no reliance should be placed on it. The appellant never provoked
or instigated any youth to go to Pakistan for Jihad training. The prime
accused have not stated in their confessional statements of having been
B inspired by the speeches of the appellant and reference to the appellant was
not done by any witness. During the course of police custody and remand
no incriminating articles were recovered by the investigating agency. Serious
acts in the aftermath of Godhra was done by the Rauf and not by the
appellant and in the absence of any prima facie material there was no basis
for keeping him in custody.
c 5. The stand of the State on the other hand was that there is a
confessional statement of the accused recorded under Section 32 of POT A..
It is the appellant who inspired young boys to take Jihad training in Pakistan.
There is nothing on record to indicate that there was any coercion for giving
the confessional statement. The belated retraction is nothing but afterthought.
D It was not done within the time stipulated and therefore the appellant is not
entitled to be released on bail.

6. The High Court found that the learned special Court had elaborately
dealt with various aspects of the case relating to appellant. During the course
of investigation confessional statement was recorded by DCP, an authorized
-E officer under Section 32 of the POT A which is part of the charge sheet. The
same was retracted after about 40 days by sending letter to the Special POT A
Court through the jail authorities. According to the High Court even if the
confessional statement recorded under Section 32 was retracted, same can be
considered as a piece of evidence at the time of deciding the bail application.
F Further the retraction was not done within the stipulated time. The High Court
was of the view that the learned Special Court was justified in refusing the
bail application.

7. The stands taken before the High Court were reiterated before this
Court. It was submitted by learned counsel for the appellant that the FIR
G relates to the incidents allegedly taking place between the period from April,
2002 to April, 2003.

8. In the FIR name of the present appellant-Maulana Naseeruddin was
not indicated. Charge sheet was filed before the POTA Court on 10.9.2003,
where names of 82 persons were indicated; out of them 39 have been arrested
H and 43 were stated to be absconders. On 28th October, 2003 confessional
MAUlANANASEERUDDIN MOHD. HANEEFUDDIN v. STATEOFGUJARA T[PASAYAT,J.] 389

statements were recorded during appellant's remand and 43 witnesses were A
examined under Section 164 of the Cr.P.C. The appellant was arrested in terms
of Section 151 Cr.P.C. a,nd was granted bail in October, 2004. On 21.1.2004 a
supplementary charge sheet was filed. Appellant's name was shown in Column
2 as accused No. 40 as an absconded accused in addition to those who were
originally shown as absconders. The confessional statement was purportedly
recorded on 7.11.2004 in Hindi. In between, several applications had been filed B
but there is no mention about the then so called retraction of confessional
statement. On 27.1.2005, additional charge sheet had been filed.

9. It was further submitted that on retraction confession cannot be
treated as a relevant substantial evidence. Further, the medical records and C
documents were not looked into.

10. Learned counsel for the State on the other hand submitted that
initiaHy there was a petition filed under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. before the
Gujarat High Court and one SLP had also been filed and the same was
subsequently withdrawn. The trial court's records have been sent back and D i

- 1 the trial has commenced on 18.1.2006.

11. It is to be noted that the Special POT A Court had directed the jail
authority to refer to the appellant to Civil Hospital and on advice of the expert
to get him examined and if required, admit him to the Civil Hospital for the
period as may be prescribed by doctors. The experts have expressed the view E
that he can be treated as an outdoor patient by examining him at the Civil
Hospital.

12. It is no doubt true that there is no time statutorily fixed during which
the confessional statement, if any, can be retracted; but it has to be done
within a reasonable time. F

13. Considering the various factual aspects highlighted by the trial
Court and the High Court, we do not think this to be a fit case where bail
can be granted to the appellant.

14. Order of the learned Special Court, POTA as affirmed by the High G
Court cannot be faulted and no interference is called for.

15. Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed. However, it would be in the
interest of all concerned if the trial is completed expeditiously.

D.G. Appeal dismissed. H