Punjab’s 30,000 undertrials & the case for reform
When a magistrate denies bail to someone who then spends years in custody and is eventually acquitted, nothing happens. No review. No accountability.
Updated At : 06:22 AM Feb 28, 2026 IST
Deliver: Prosecution must be rigorous — producing witnesses, filing charge sheet, proceeding with trial.
SOME years ago, I appeared in a bail matter before a district court in Punjab. My client had been in custody for 14 months on an NDPS charge. His wife had sold her jewellery to fight the case. His two sons had dropped out of school.
