SC irked over 21 adjournments in bail matter

Irked by 21 adjournments in a bail matter by the Allahabad High Court, the Supreme Court on Friday reiterated cases of personal liberty ought to be decided expeditiously as it asked the high court chief justice to look into it.

“Time and again, we have been saying matters regarding personal liberty of citizens must be heard and decided expeditiously. Thus, we request the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to handle the case expeditiously,” a Bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices N V Anjaria and Alok Aradhe said.

The Bench was hearing a plea of one Kuldeep when his counsel said the hearing on his bail plea was adjourned 21 times in the high court and the matter was posted after two months.

When the lawyer referred to a recent case in which the top court granted bail to an accused as the hearing on his plea was deferred 43 times, the CJI noted he had asked the chief justice of the high court to personally look into it.

While refusing to grant bail in the case at hand, the Bench said, “Needless to say that at least on the next date of hearing, the high court will take the matter and decide the bail application.”

The CJI said if still aggrieved, the accused could return to the top court.

The CJI recently deprecated the tendency of the high court to adjourn matters of personal liberty.

The Bench granted bail to the accused who was in custody for over three-and-a-half years in multiple CBI cases after noting that his case was adjourned 43 times in the high court.

On August 25, it allowed the plea of Ramnath Mishra alias Ramanath Mishra and ordered his release if not wanted in any other case.

“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 matters pertaining to personal liberty of a citizen on such a large number of occasions. Time and again we have observed that the matters relating to personal liberty should be entertained by the Courts with utmost speed,” the CJI said.