Victims of crime cannot expect courts to be rijid

The Madras High Court bench here has maintained that victims of crime cannot expect the courts to be rigid regarding negligible deviations in complying with the bail conditions.
Justice P Devadoss gave the opinion recently dismissing a petition filed by a complainant in a woman harassment case challenging the refusal of the lower court to cancel the anticipatory bail given to two accused in the case as they failed to appear before the Judicial Magistrate at the scheduled time as per bail conditions.
"Victims of crime may keep an eye on the accused all the time, but they can't expect the courts also to be rigid" the judge said.

The petitioner Jesintha Mary said that the accused Selvaraj and Sebastiammal did not appear before the Judicial Magistrate at Thiruvadanai at 10 am as per the bail condition on November four last year.
Selvaraj and Seastammal submitted that there was delay to appear before the Judicial Magistrate on the particular day as they had to go to the hospital for treatment.
The also submitted that the petitioner had no locus standi to seek the cancellation of the anticipatory bail and so the sessions judge who gave the conditional bail dismissed the plea Jesintha Mary.
However, on the question of locus standi, the judge said the petitioner had every right to seek the cancellation of the bail on the ground of violation of conditions imposed by the court as she was the victim of crime.