Arjun Ayanki granted bail in Meenakshipuram robbery case after prosecution's failure to file chargesheet after 125 days

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Arjun Ayanki has been granted bail in Meenakshipuram robbery case. He was granted bail because the charge sheet was not filed even after 125 days in custody. The High Court criticized the prosecution in the bail plea. "The accused has been charged with a serious crime. Also the past history of the accused is very bad. The reason why the accused was granted bail despite being ineligible is the failure of the prosecution.", the court said.

The court also criticized the fact that the charge sheet was not filed on time which forced the court to grant bail.

The case is about an alleged abduction of a gold merchant in Palakkad's Meenakshipuram and the robbery of 75 sovereign gold, cash and a phone. Arjun Ayanki is the 14th accused in the case. He was in police custody for 125 days. After this, he approached the High Court with a bail plea. The accused wanted to be granted natural bail pending filing of the charge sheet.

This was contested by the prosecution. The prosecution argued that if Arjun is granted bail, he may go out and destroy the evidence and that he is accused in several criminal cases. But the court criticized the prosecution and granted bail saying that there was a failure to submit the charge sheet.