SC Turns Down Suhaib Ilyasi's Interim Bail Plea; Asks Him To Approach HC [Read Order]

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant interim bail to television producer Suhaib Ilyasi who is facing life imprisonment for the murder of his wife.

The vacation bench of Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar, hearing the SLP preferred by Ilyasi, required him to surrender in compliance with the direction of the Delhi High Court on May 14.

The apex court, however, allowed him liberty to approach the high court in a fresh application for interim bail, pending the disposal of the appeal against his conviction.

The Delhi High Court had granted an interim suspension of his sentence on April 26. Ilyasi, in his bail application, had cited his second wife's kidney stone problem. Allowing the same, the high court had permitted his release for four weeks, subject to the furnishing of a personal bond along with one surety. The high court had also restrained him from contacting the family of the deceased or any witnesses, besides requiring him to notify the address where he would be available during the said period to the Investigating Officer as well as the Jail Superintendent.

Subsequently, on May 14, the high court had come down heavily on the deceased's mother for seeking the recusal of Justice S Muralidhar, stopping short of initiating criminal contempt. However, the division bench of Justice Muralidhar and Justice IS Mehta orally declined to extend Ilyasi's interim bail, requiring him to surrender. On account of the absence of senior counsel Sanjay Jain, being the Special Public Prosecutor in the matter, the hearing in the appeal was adjourned to July.

In December last year, the Additional Sessions Judge, Karkardooma Courts, had arrived at "the inescapable conclusion" that, in view of the prosecution evidence and other material on record, the defence argument that the deceased had committed suicide by stabbing herself was not acceptable.

Holding Ilyasi guilty of murder, the judge had observed, "The charge under section 302, IPC against the accused stands fully proved since in spite of the fact that accused had been in the same room, he failed to furnish any plausible explanation as to why there were no cut marks on the wearing clothes of deceased, how the blood of the deceased travelled to the bed, the bathroom sink and the drain and how the revolver which was thrown by accused under the bed was recovered from shelf. The version given by the accused that his wife had consumed sleeping pills, that there was no blood seen coming out of the wound which, at the same time, was seen by the PSO and that blood found in the sink and drains of the washroom was menstrual blood of the deceased stands fully falsified by the medical & other evidences on record, which, in itself, is an additional link connecting the accused to the commission of the offence. Accordingly, the accused is held guilty for committing the murder of his wife Anju Iliyasi and convicted under section 302, IPC".

The district court had subsequently sentenced the petitioner to life imprisonment and also directed him to pay Rs. 10 lakhs as compensation to his deceased wife's family.

Ilyasi is best known for his TV show 'India's Most Wanted'.