The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to a group of men from Jharkhand who were facing arrest in a criminal case involving allegations under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The bench confirmed the interim protection earlier given to them, noting their cooperation with the investigation so far.
The order was passed by a bench of Supreme Court of India while hearing a Special Leave Petition arising out of a judgment of the Jharkhand High Court.
Background of the Case
The case relates to FIR No. 26 dated 19 March 2024, registered at Jarmundi Police Station in Dumka district, Jharkhand. The accused, led by Sandev Mirdha alias Samdev Mirdha, were booked for offences including wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult, and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code.
In addition, allegations were made under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which aims to protect members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from caste-based abuse and violence.
Apprehending arrest, the accused approached the Supreme Court after the High Court declined to grant them relief.
Proceedings Before the Supreme Court
When the matter first came up in September 2025, the Supreme Court had issued notice and granted interim protection to the petitioners. At that stage, the court directed that no coercive steps be taken against them, provided they cooperated with the investigation.
On 5 February 2026, the matter was listed again for final consideration. Counsel appearing for the petitioners submitted that they had complied with all directions of the court and had joined the investigation whenever required.
Court’s Observations
After hearing both sides, the bench took note of the conduct of the accused during the investigation period. The judges observed that the petitioners had cooperated with the investigating agency and that no violation of the interim directions had been pointed out.
“The petitioners are cooperating in the investigation,” the bench noted, while clarifying that it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the allegations at this stage.
Supreme Court’s Decision
In its final order, the Supreme Court confirmed the interim protection and granted anticipatory bail to the petitioners. The court directed that if the accused are arrested in connection with the FIR, they shall be released on bail upon furnishing appropriate bail bonds and sureties.
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The bench further ordered that the conditions of bail would be decided by the Station House Officer of the concerned police station, in line with the law.
The petitioners were also directed to continue joining the investigation as and when required and to comply with the conditions laid down under Section 438(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which governs anticipatory bail.
The court made it clear that any violation of the bail conditions could lead to appropriate action by the trial court. With these directions, the Special Leave Petition was disposed of, and all pending applications were closed.
Case Title: Sandev Mirdha @ Samdev Mirdha & Ors. vs State of Jharkhand & Anr.
Case No.: SLP (Crl.) No. 13765 of 2025
Decision Date: 5 February 2026
