Police cannot be allowed to peep into private life of accused on bail: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday said there cannot be a bail condition which allows the police to peep into the private life of an accused in a criminal case.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan set aside a bail condition imposed by the Delhi High Court requiring a Nigerian national to share the Google Maps pin in his mobile device with the investigating officer in a drugs case.
Justice Oka, pronouncing the verdict said, "There cannot be a bail condition defeating the very objective of bail itself. We have said Google pin cannot be a bail condition. There can't be a bail condition enabling the police to constantly track the movement of the accused. Police cannot be allowed to peep into the private life of the accused on bail."
The court pronounced the verdict on a plea of Frank Vitus, a Nigerian national challenging the bail condition in a drugs case.
On April 29, the top court had reserved its verdict said it would examine whether one of the conditions imposed by the Delhi High Court asking an accused to "drop a Google pin" from his mobile phone to enable investigators to track his movement while on bail violated the fundamental right to privacy.
In a landmark decision, a nine-judge Constitution bench had on August 24, 2017 unanimously declared that the right to privacy was a fundamental right under the Constitution.
The top court took note of the condition and said prima facie it was violative of the right to privacy of the accused enlarged on bail.
Similar bail conditions of sharing Google pin have been imposed by the high court on other accused in different cases as well. The top court has taken note of such bail conditions of other accused as well.
On February 8, this year, the Delhi High Court granted bail to one Raman Bhuraria. He was arrested in connection with a money laundering probe arising from an alleged Rs 3,269 crore financial irregularity case against Shakti Bhog Foods Ltd.
The high court had imposed several bail conditions and one of them read that "The applicant shall drop a Google pin location from his mobile phone to the IO concerned which shall be kept operational throughout his bail."
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Rupee falls 32 paise to all-time low of 95.20 against US dollar
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI): The rupee depreciated 32 paise to an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, weighed down by elevated Brent crude oil prices, hovering around USD 122 per barrel, and strong American currency.
Forex traders said the USD/INR pair may see further downside, as rising crude oil prices are likely to sharply impact India's import costs, while concerns over potential wider conflict in West Asia are fuelling investor anxiety.
Meanwhile, the US dollar added to gains after the US FED Reserve kept rates unchanged. Safe-haven demand was also boosted by another diplomatic setback between Washington and Tehran.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.01 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 32 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated 20 paise to close at an all-time low of 94.88 against the US dollar.
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"The main effect on the rupee has been from the rising oil prices, which touched USD 120 per barrel and looked headed for further upside as the US continues with its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran does not allow any ship/tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.01 per cent higher at 98.96.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 3.16 per cent at USD 121.76 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex tumbled 821.79 points to 76,674.57 in early trade, while the Nifty dived 287.3 points to 23,890.35.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 2,468.42 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue with their sale of Indian Equities and debt (the yield touched 7 per cent on Wednesday) and are also dollar buyers consistently," Bhansali added.
