New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a series of directions to speed up the disposal of bail applications pending in High Courts across the country, stressing the need to protect the personal liberty of undertrial prisoners while also safeguarding victims' rights.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed concern over delays in hearing bail pleas and directed High Courts to ensure such matters are listed every week or at least once in two weeks. The court also asked High Courts to create an automatic mechanism for relisting pending bail applications every fortnight.
The apex court observed that delays in hearing bail pleas directly affect the fundamental rights of accused persons. It said fresh bail applications should ideally be listed promptly, preferably within a week of filing. The Bench, also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, directed that status reports must be filed before the first hearing of a bail plea.
The court further ordered that lawyers filing bail applications must serve advance copies to the Advocate General's office or the concerned agency. It also said the practice of issuing notices at the admission stage should be discontinued and pending bail matters should be automatically relisted without fresh procedures.
The Supreme Court asked High Courts to set timelines for disposing of bail cases and cautioned against unnecessary adjournments sought by governments. It also highlighted delays in forensic science laboratory reports and urged High Courts and state governments to coordinate for timely submissions.
The directions came during proceedings related to prolonged delays in bail hearings, with the court earlier expressing disappointment over repeated adjournments in matters involving personal liberty. (IANS)
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