Court Grants Bail in E-Cigarette Smuggling Case

A court has granted bail to Yash Tekwani, accused of smuggling e-cigarettes. The judge emphasized bail should be the rule, with jail as an exception, noting the Supreme Court's stance that economic offenses can't be the sole reason to deny bail. Tekwani claims he was framed.

In a significant legal decision, a local court has granted bail to Yash Tekwani, who faced accusations of e-cigarette smuggling. The additional chief judicial magistrate, Abhishek Kumar, underscored that bail should be viewed as the rule, with incarceration being the exception.

In the order dated October 5, the magistrate highlighted the precedence set by the apex court, which states that the gravity of economic offenses should not be the only factor in denying bail. He noted there is no legal provision preventing bail in such cases.

The decision to grant bail was made after the recovery process was completed and noting that Tekwani had been in custody since late August. The court stipulated a bond of Rs 1 lakh, mandated a surety in the same amount, and imposed travel restrictions on the accused.

(With inputs from agencies.)