Panchkula, Oct. 18 -- A sessions court has sharply criticised and modified a chief judicial magistrate's (CJM) bail order that had required a Dera Bassi man to furnish bonds to the tune of Rs.2.35 lakh to be released on bail, terming the condition "atrocious, arbitrary, unreasonable and illogical."

The ruling, delivered on October 15 by Sessions Judge Ved Parkash Sirohi, paved the way for Pardeep Kumar, 28, to walk free after spending over two-and-a-half months in jail despite being granted bail earlier. The court reduced his bail requirement to a personal bond of Rs.25,000 with one surety.

Judge Sirohi held that the unreasonably high surety amount violated Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution. The session...