New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) A Delhi court has granted bail to a man arrested for missing his appearance in a counterfeit currency case, saying he was in his village when COVID-19 restrictions were enforced.

Accused Pramod Kumar Shahni was first arrested in November 2017 and was released on bail in February 2018.

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Thereafter, being a daily wager, Shahni went to his village when COVID-19 restrictions were in place and did not appear in the case.

The accused was subsequently declared a "proclaimed offender" (PO) in May last year and arrested.

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Judge Kiran Gupta released the accused on June 21, saying he had been in judicial custody since September 19, 2024.

"Considering the nature of allegations and that the applicant is in JC since 19.09.2024 (after re-arrest), let the applicant be released on bail," the court held.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)