In Brief
A man was accused of murdering his brother-in-law, a member of a Scheduled Caste. The High Court granted him bail without issuing notice to the victim (the deceased's brother, who filed the complaint) as required by the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The Supreme Court held that the statutory requirement to provide notice and a hearing to victims before granting bail in SC/ST atrocities cases is mandatory, not merely procedural. The Court set aside the bail order and rejected the argument that the defect could be cured in a later bail cancellation proceeding. The Court also found the bail order lacked reasoned analysis of the gravity of charges and the accused's role. The appeal was allowed and bail was cancelled."
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