Panchkula, Sept. 29 -- In a significant setback for the district police, two accused in a unique style of snatching case were granted bail within a month by the sessions court on September 26. The court's decision was based on the prosecution's failure to follow proper legal procedures, particularly regarding the identification of the accused. Rahul and Panna Lal, residents of Rajiv Colony, were arrested by the Sector 5 police station on August 28 and charged under Sections 304 and 317(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for snatching and receiving stolen property, respectively. According to the complaint by Kanhaiya Lal, on August 28, he had gone to a grocery store in Sector 9 to deliver some goods and, after collecting Rs.10,000 from the store, was returning to his work. At around 1.30 pm, three boys on a motorcycle stopped him near Sector 4. They allegedly pretended to search him for "ganja" and then snatched the cash before fleeing. However, the counsel for the accused successfully argued that their clients were not properly identified. The defence highlighted a critical procedural failure: the police did not conduct a test identification parade (TIP) of the accused in the presence of a judicial magistrate, as required by law. The court's observation noted that this lapse made the identity of the accused a "debatable issue." While the prosecution claimed that the accused were seen in CCTV footage and that a motorcycle and Rs.6,000 of the stolen money were recovered from the dickey of the said motorcycle, the court found these claims to be insufficient. The court pointed out that the CCTV footage was not from the actual scene of the crime. "Nothing is left to be recovered from the possession of the petitioners," the court observed, noting that they had no prior criminal history and had been in custody since August 29. The court further stated that keeping the accused in jail would not serve any useful purpose, as the trial was not likely to be concluded in the near future. Based on these observations and without commenting on the merits of the case, the sessions court granted bail to the accused....