The Delhi High Court granted bail to a woman accused in a ₹2 crore fraud case and criticised the CBI for taking nearly 13 years to arrest her.
Justice Girish Kathpalia said the delay reflected poorly on the agency. “The fact that it took 13 years for a premier central investigating agency to even apprehend a Proclaimed Offender speaks volumes about their interest or lack thereof in arresting the accused/applicant,” the Court observed.
Case Background
The case relates to alleged irregularities in the disbursal of a government grant of about ₹2 crore. The record showed that the petitioner stayed away for years. The CBI arrested her only in 2025, even though it had filed the chargesheet much earlier.
When the Court heard the bail plea, all co-accused already had bail. The trial had also moved forward substantially. Out of 109 prosecution witnesses, the court had examined 76.
CBI’s Objection And Court’s View
The CBI opposed bail and argued that the petitioner had absconded for years. It said she posed a flight risk.
The Court disagreed. It noted that the petitioner’s husband works as an Inspector with the CRPF. In these circumstances, the Court said it could not assume she would flee.
Court Flags Lack Of Prosecution Push
The High Court also commented on how the prosecution pursued the case. It recorded that the CBI did not appear keen to actively prosecute the matter.
The Court specifically noted that the Investigating Officer did not appear to assist it on the latest status of the case.
Bail Conditions
Justice Kathpalia held that there was no justification to keep the petitioner in custody and allowed the bail plea. The Court granted bail on furnishing a personal bond of ₹50,000.
Case Title: R. Usha @ G. Usha v. CBI
Appearance: Mr. Rituraj Biswas, Mr. Murari Kumar Singh and Mr. Aayush Garg, Advocates for Petitioner; Mr. Vikrant Pachnanda, SPP with Mr. Mukul Katyal, Advocate for Respondent
