Even single day's delay in deciding bail plea adversely affects fundamental rights of citizens: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Deprecating the practice of courts keeping bail applications pending for years, the Supreme Court has said that even a single day's delay in deciding such matters adversely affects the fundamental rights of citizens.
The apex court has time and again emphasised the importance of personal liberty, a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said in an order passed on Friday.
"It has been observed by this court (that) even a single day('s) delay in deciding the bail application adversely affects the fundamental rights of the citizens," it said.
"We do not appreciate the practice of keeping bail application pending for years together," it said.
The top court's observation came while hearing a plea filed by a man who said his bail application was pending before the Allahabad High Court since August last year and there was no progress in the matter.
The petitioner said the matter was adjourned repeatedly before the high court without any effective hearing.
The SC noted that it has been informed that the matter was posted for hearing before the High Court on November 11.
"... we request the judge, before whom the matter is placed, to take up the matter on the same date and decide it as expeditiously as possible and, in any case, within a period of two weeks from November 11, 2024," the bench said, while disposing of the plea.
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Kerala court sentences 20-year-old man in minor girl rape case
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to 21 years of imprisonment for raping a minor girl after befriending her on a social media app.
Karunagappally Fast Track Special Court judge Rajeevan Vachal sentenced the convict to 21 years under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, special public prosecutor (SPP) N C Premchandran said.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.1 lakh on the convict, the prosecutor said.
The incident occurred in 2024 when the accused befriended her on a social media app and then offered to take her to the Azheekal beach here.
However, instead of taking her to the beach, he took her to an isolated place behind the CHC hospital at Mynagappally here and raped her, the SPP said.
Following the incident, the girl attempted suicide, but was saved and then told the doctors what had happened, the prosecutor said.
The hospital authorities informed the police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.
The prosecutor said that seven witnesses were examined and 20 documents were submitted before the court to substantiate the guilt of the accused.
