Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 10: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at Jammu has dismissed the bail application of Rehmat Begum (35), who is facing trial in a murder case under Sections 302/109 IPC in FIR No. 92/2020 of Police Station Bahu Fort, Jammu, relating to the alleged killing of her husband “in connivance with her paramour.”
Justice Shahzad Azeem observed that bail is a discretionary relief and cannot be claimed by deceiving the Court through misrepresentation or suppression of material facts.
The Court took note of a “startling” development that on December 8, 2025, the petitioner’s counsel Ankush Manhas submitted that the petitioner had a three-month-old baby requiring medical care, following which directions were issued to the jail authorities for medical examination and a compliance report.
However, the Superintendent, District Jail, Jammu, in a report dated December 17, 2025, stated that no child accompanied the petitioner at the time of her admission to jail, which was also supported by the Senior Medical Officer’s report, noting she was lodged alone.
The Court held that secur Justice Shahzad Azeem observed that bail is a discretionary relief and cannot be claimed by deceiving the Court through misrepresentation or suppression of material facts.
The Court took note of a “startling” development that on December 8, 2025, the petitioner’s counsel Ankush Manhas submitted that the petitioner had a three-month-old baby requiring medical care, following which directions were issued to the jail authorities for medical examination and a compliance report.
The Superintendent, District Jail, Jammu, in a report dated December 17, 2025, stated that no child accompanied the petitioner at the time of her admission to jail, which was also supported by the Senior Medical Officer’s report, noting she was lodged alone.
The order further records that after the challan was presented on June 11, 2020, the petitioner had earlier obtained short-term bail in September 2020 on pregnancy grounds and again in 2023 citing her child’s medical condition.
A subsequent short-term bail plea was rejected by the trial court on September 1, 2025, citing alleged violations of bail conditions, including that during interim bail she allegedly solemnised a second marriage and travelled to Srinagar beyond the trial court’s territorial jurisdiction without permission.
The High Court also noted that the petitioner’s claim of regular appearance before the trial court did not match the trial court record, which mentioned that she failed to appear and a warrant of arrest had already been issued in the main challan.
Terming the plea “misconceived,” the High Court dismissed the bail application, clarifying that the observations are confined to the bail proceedings and shall not affect the merits of the main case. (JNF) |