The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to a murder accused who had spent nine years in jail, saying the extraordinary delay in the trial had “shaken the judicial conscience”. The court said it is the constitutional duty of courts to ensure such cases are heard without unnecessary delay.
A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale noted that the petitioner was a juvenile at the time of the incident. It observed that nine years had already passed and, at the current pace, the trial would take even longer to conclude.
The court said that keeping a person in jail indefinitely without any significant progress in the trial violates the right to a speedy trial and the right to personal liberty.
It added that the right to a speedy trial is an integral part of Article 21 of the Constitution and must be protected, especially in cases involving people who have remained in custody for a long time.
