The Delhi High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to Manoj Kumar Jha, who is accused of impersonating a judge of the Patna High Court and a senior civil servant in an alleged attempt to extract confidential information from top government officials.
Hearing the matter, Justice Girish Kathpalia expressed astonishment over the fact that Jha continues to remain out of custody despite facing nearly a dozen criminal cases and having his requests for anticipatory bail rejected multiple times, including by the Supreme Court.
The Court observed that the circumstances raise serious concerns, remarking that the sequence of events creates an impression that the accused may have received assistance and that the situation warrants closer scrutiny.
Taking note of the unusual delay in arresting Jha, the High Court directed that a copy of its order be forwarded to the concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police for appropriate action.
The case stems from an FIR registered in 2024 at Parliament Street police station in Delhi. During the hearing, counsel for Jha argued that the police’s failure to arrest his client, even after earlier courts declined to protect him from arrest, demonstrated that custodial interrogation was unnecessary.
However, the prosecution itself questioned the inaction of the investigating agency, pointing out that no steps had been taken against the accused despite the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant him anticipatory bail.
Rejecting Jha’s plea, the Court underscored both the seriousness of the allegations and his alleged history of similar offences. It also noted that there had been no change in circumstances since the Supreme Court turned down his earlier request for relief.
The bench ultimately concluded that the case did not merit the extraordinary protection of anticipatory bail, leaving the accused without any shield against arrest.
