Drop the bottle and grab your bail: Madras HC tells two drunkards

Drop the bottle and grab your bail: Madras HC tells two drunkards

All he did was to ask the duo, who were seeking bail after getting arrested over a drunken brawl, to give a written assurance stating they won’t booze again.

Published: 08th September 2021 05:02 AM 

By Express News Service

MADURAI: Sometimes, a little leap of faith can go a long way. With the simplest of remedial measures, Justice B Pugalendhi of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday, might have just helped two men lay off the bottle. All he did was to ask the duo, who were seeking bail after getting arrested over a drunken brawl, to give a written assurance stating they won’t booze again.

The court was hearing a bail petition filed by Shiva and Karthik, both Tiruchy natives. On July 25, the duo were having booze with their friend Suresh at a bar. Reportedly, an argument broke out between them and in the melee, Shiva and Karthik attacked Suresh with a beer bottle. The duo were soon arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

Subsequently, the accused persons moved a lower court seeking bail, which was denied over objection from police. Further, they approached the Madurai Bench of High Court with their petition. The duo contended that the police had foisted the case on them and lodged them in prison for over 37 days. They also assured the Court that they will accept any conditions imposed on them if let out on bail.

Recording the submission, Justice B Pugalendhi said the root cause of this crime was alcoholism. “Only due to it, the accused are in jail right now. If the duo are willing to give a written affidavit stating they will not consume liquor and create problems in the future, I will consider granting them bail,” he told the petitioners’ counsel. The Court also set September 13 as the deadline for filing the affidavit and adjourned the case.

Bail sought, with assurance to accept conditions

The duo, who were arrested for a drunken brawl and were remanded, had moved to a lower court seeking bail. With a police objection denying the bail, they approached the HC and assured the court that they would accept any conditions for a bail