Anticipatory bail cannot be granted for an offence which is bailable

The Allahabad High Court has held that question of granting of anticipatory bail does not arise for an offence which is bailable and a direction for the same can be issued only in respect of non-bailable and cognizable offences.

Relevant Extract:

18. Section 132 of the Act lists 12 offences that are punishable with imprisonment and/or a fine. The terms of imprisonment and the amount of fine, is dependent on the amount involved in the offence, or in some cases, the act committed by the offender. The provision further categorises certain offences as cognizable and non-bailable, if the amount involved exceeds Rs. 500 lakhs, as stated in clause-5 of the Section. These offences relate to person who supply goods or services without issuing invoices, or issue invoices without supplying goods or services and thus wrongfully avail Input Tax Credit, or to persons who collect tax but fails to pay it to the Government beyond a period of three months from the date on which payment becomes due. All other offences listed under the Act have been categorized as non-cognizable and bailable, as per clause-4 of the Section.

19. In the present case, it is a common ground between the applicants and the opposite party No. 3 that the offences are bailable. Even para-28 of the counter affidavit to the said effect stands unrebutted.

20. Resultantly, the question thus being answered by holding that granting of anticipatory bail does not arise for an offence which is bailable and a direction for the same can be issued only in respect of non-bailable and cognizable offences, the present anticipatory bail application deserves rejection and, accordingly, it is rejected.