In Brief
The appellant, aged 74, had been detained as an undertrial prisoner for over nine and a half years in a serious criminal case involving alleged sedition and unlawful activities. Although charges were framed only in 2019—seven years after the initial charge sheet—with 298 witnesses listed and no near-end in sight, both the trial court and High Court rejected his bail plea. The Supreme Court held that the constitutional guarantee of personal liberty under Article 21 includes the right to a speedy trial. Where an undertrial has suffered prolonged incarceration and timely trial is unlikely, courts must grant bail despite statutory restrictions. The judgment also criticized the poor implementation of Special Court rules mandating day-to-day trials and directed state authorities to designate additional courts and accelerate proceedings.
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