Andrea Alfredo Tonali vs State of Goa

U.D. Salvi, J.—Heard. Perused the petition, annexures therewith and the reply.

Rule, made returnable forthwith. The respondent waives notice for final hearing. Taken up for final hearing by mutual consent.

The petitioner Andrea Tonali, 42 years Italian National involved in a criminal case registered under FIR 14/2007 u/s 20(b)(ii) and 21 of N.D.P.S. Act, 1985 with Anti Narcotic Cell of Panaji, Goa, is seeking permission to leave India for a period of two months and return of his passport lying with the Trial Court for the purposes of travel to his native country Italy.

The petitioner was arrested in the aforesaid criminal case on 13/11/2007 on the allegation of having found in possession of 116 grams of charas and 111.2 grams of heroin. Later on, he was released on bail by the Special Judge, N.D.P.S., Court Mapusa vide order dated 20.11.2007 in Special Bail Application No. 27/2007 on the following terms and conditions:

(i) The accused shall execute personal bond of Rs. 1 Lac with one surety in the like amount.

(ii) The accused shall furnish his residential address to the Court as well as to Investigating Officer within a period of 3 days from the date of his release.

(iii) The accused shall attend Anjuna Police Station between 10.00 to 12.00 hours every alternate day from the date of his release till filing of the chargesheet.

(iv) The Investigating Officer shall verify the residential address submitted by the accused and report compliance.

Now, the trial has commenced and the prosecution has examined P.W.1 Smt. Seema Shrivastav, Scientific Officer, C.F.S.L., Hyderabad. However, according to the petitioner, the progress of the trial has been stalled due to the report of Scientific investigation regarding the alleged contraband heroin not being sent by C.F.S.L., Hyderabad.

The petitioner states that he being the only son of his old parents suffering with heart disease and diabetes, his presence by their side at his native place in Italy is required for taking their care and to save them from mental trauma as well as for taking care of some legal works and settlement of family matters. The petitioner further submits that for the aforesaid reasons, he moved an application-Special Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 10/2009 u/s 457 of Cr.P.C. for release of his passport and seeking permission to leave India before the Special Court on 16.09.2009. After having failed to get the release as sought in the said application, the petitioner submits, he has preferred this writ petition u/s 482 of Cr.P.C., 1973.

The State resisted this petition with the reply dated 19.11.2009. The State contends that the offence committed by the petitioner/accused is serious and there is every possibility that the petitioner accused may not return back to Goa for facing the trial and would abscond.

Learned Advocate Paulikar for the petitioner submits that in absence of any history of misuse of the liberties granted to the petitioner accused, the contention that the petitioner/accused would abscond and not face the trial once allowed to leave the country is misconceived; and the Court cannot impound the passport by refusing to return it. In support of his submission, he relied on the judgment reported in 2008 All M R (Cri) 1189(S.C.) Suresh Nanda v. C.B.I. and further proceeded to cite unreported two more judgments delivered by the Hon''ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana in Criminal Miscellaneous No. M-17094 of 2009 Subash Chander v. State of Punjab and Criminal Miscellaneous No. M-25887 of 2009 Sadrick Sohan Lal v. State of Punjab on 08/07/2009 and 25/09/2009 respectively in order to advance the argument that every person is considered innocent till proved guilty and as such there can be no unreasonable embargo on the right of such person to travel abroad.

Learned Public Prosecutor Coutinho for the State submitted that issue involved in the present petition is fundamentally different in as much as permission to leave India to a foreign national involved in a serious offence is refused out of legitimate fear of not getting him back for facing the trial in N.D.P.S. Case. She pointed out that the cases cited on behalf of the petitioner were concerning Indian nationals not facing charges under N.D.P.S. Act.

At the outset, it must be noted that inherent powers can only be exercised by this Court sparingly u/s 482 of Cr.P.C., 1973, in order to make such orders as may be necessary either for giving effect to any order passed under the Code or to prevent abuse of the process of any Court or otherwise to secure the ends of justice. In the instant case, therefore, one has to look for whether there has been any abuse of the process of the Court or exercise of jurisdiction u/s 482 of the Code is necessary to secure the ends of justice.

Undoubtedly, the learned Trial Court did consider the medical records of the parents of the petitioner and verify the necessity of the petitioner being there with his parents at Italy. The learned Trial Court also considered the letter and spirit of the order granting bail to the petitioner as well as the judgment of the Hon''ble Apex Court in Suresh Nanda''s case (supra).It is only after balancing the necessity of the petitioner''s presence at the side of his parents in Italy and the necessity of his presence before the Court for facing the on going trial, the learned Trial Court observed that the release of passport to the applicant for leaving the country would be prejudicial to the case of the prosecution. The learned Trial Court, thereafter, proceeded to refuse permission to the applicant/petitioner to leave India.

One can also see from the medical reports annexed to the petition that the father of the petitioner Antonio Tonali has been cardiac patient since 2004 and his mother Antonietta has been diagnosed as patient of Acute Diabetes Type 2. Medical records further reveal that ailments of the parents of the petitioner are manageable with medicines, diet and life style. Medical records pose a question as to why the petitioner had left his parents for foreign shore when he knew they were old and ailing. The petitioner has no convincing answer for it. Facts in the present case vary from the facts in the cases cited as judicial precedents on behalf of the petitioner. The learned Trial Court rightly observed that the ratio of the judgment in Suresh Nanda''s case cannot be made applicable to a case where the accused has been released on bail upon confirmation of the fact that he would reside in Goa, and moreso when the Apex Court had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the said case and had abstained from deciding whether the passport can be impounded as condition for grant of bail. No abuse of the process of the Court or miscarriage of justice is seen in the present case. Calls for no interference in the discretion exercised by the trial Court.

Rule is, therefore, discharged with no order as to costs.