Allahabad High Court adjourns bail hearing 43 times; SC grants bail to accused

Noting that personal liberty-related cases should be entertained by courts with utmost speed, the Supreme Court has granted bail to an accused in a CBI case after it came to know that the Allahabad High Court adjourned his bail plea 43 times.

“Time and again, we have observed that the matters relating to personal liberty should be entertained by the courts with utmost speed...In the matters of personal liberty, the High Courts are not expected to keep the matter pending for such a long time and do nothing, except for adjourning from time to time,” a Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice NV Anjaria said, granting bail to accused Ramnath Mishra.

“In the present case, the matter has been adjourned on 43 occasions. We do not appreciate the tendency of the High Court to adjourn the matter pertaining to personal liberty of a citizen on such a large number of occasions,” the Bench said in its August 25 order.

On behalf of the CBI, Additional Solicitor General SD Sanjay opposed the bail plea on the grounds that the top court granting bail during the pendency of bail applications before the high court would set a wrong precedent.

However, the top court took note of the fact that Mishra had already spent more than three-and-a-half years in custody and hearing on his bail applications had been adjourned 43 times.

“Taking into consideration that the petitioner has been incarcerated for more than three-and-a-half years, including the period undergone in the connected matter, we are inclined to grant bail,” it said.

“The petitioner is directed to be released on bail…to the satisfaction of the trial court,” it added.

Interestingly, the top court had granted bail to a co-accused in the case on May 22, 2025 after it came to know that the high court had adjourned hearing on his bail application 27 times.