In Brief
The Supreme Court set aside a Madras High Court order that, while granting bail in a criminal case, had constituted a committee to recommend reforms to the state's criminal justice system and directed the police to provide data on investigations and convictions. The Court held that once a bail application is decided under Section 439 of the CrPC, the court's jurisdiction ends and it cannot pass unrelated orders on systemic reforms. The inherent powers under Section 482 CrPC cannot be used to address governance or policy matters, which are the executive's domain. Although the judge's intentions were laudable, issuing such directions exceeded judicial authority.
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