Right To Speedy Trial: SC Grants Bail To Undertrial In Murder Case

In a Murder Case, the Accused was Granted Bail by the Supreme Court,
Highlighting the Significance of Making Sure that the Legal System does not Turn into a means of Punishment for the Accused.

A Bench Consisting of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and R. Mahadevan Emphasised
that Under Article 21 of the Constitution, An Accused Person has the Right to a Speedy and Fair Trial. An Excessive delay in the Trial's Conclusion would Violate the Accused's Rights, the Court Stated in its Monday Ruling, Emphasising that Although a Hurried Trial could Endanger the Defense, Drawn-Out Trials are also Worrisome Since they Violate the Accused's Fundamental Fights. An Excessive delay in Concluding the Trial would Violate the Right of An Accused Person Guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

"An Accused has a Right to a Fair Trial and While a Hurried Trial is Frowned upon as it may not give Sufficient time to Prepare for the Defense," the Court Order Said.

The Court Expressed Sympathy for the Extended Detention of individuals
Awaiting Trial by using Oscar Wilde's Well-Known lines from "The Ballad of
Reading Gaol." The Bench Mentioned the Psychological Effects of Detention
without An Early Release, saying, "It is not for nothing the author Oscar Wilde
wrote...'All that we know who be in Jail / Is that the wall is Strong; / And that
Each day is like a year, / A year whose days are long."

"Considering the above and to Avoid the Situation where the Trial Process itself is the Punishment, Particularly when there is Presumption of innocence under Indian Jurisprudence, "The Judgment Continued," We deem it Appropriate to Grant Bail to the Petitioner – Balwinder Singh."

The Supreme Court has once again Emphasised the Significance of Upholding the delicate balance between Ensuring a Fair Trial and Avoiding Excessive Punishment through drawn-out Judicial Proceedings with this Ruling.

In Recent rulings, the highest court has reaffirmed that, even in instances
brought under strict legislation like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act
(UAPA) and Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Bail is the norm and incarceration is the Exception. Additionally, the Supreme Court has Advised Lower Courts to use Prudence while Restraining Bail Orders. In a thorough Ruling on Monday, the Court stated that an Individual Detained for one Crime may Nonetheless Request An Anticipatory Bail for a Separate Offence, Citing Article 21 of the Constitution's Guarantee of Personal Liberty Against Express Legal Restrictions.

The Prosecution in this Case Wants to Question Seventeen more Witnesses, so it's Unlikely that the Trial will end very soon. The Judgment Said, "We think it Appropriate to Grant Bail in Order to Prevent the Situation Where the Trial
The process itself becomes a Punishment." For Singh to Cooperate in the On-Going Trial, the Trial Court was Instructed by the Court to Set Suitable Bail Terms. Any Breach of these Terms might Result in his Bail being Revoked, it Stated.

Author:
Aarya Kadam (News Writer) is a final-year BBA student and a creative writer with a passion for current affairs and legal judgments.