Undertrials cannot be held in jails indefinitely, says Bombay High Court

A person facing trial cannot be put up in jail for an indefinite period as it is violative of fundamental rights, the Bombay High Court observed in a recent judgement, The Hindu reported on Saturday.

A single-judge bench of Justice Bharati Dangre gave the verdict on September 26, while granting bail to a person named Akash Satish Chandalia in a case of double murder and conspiracy.

“Pending the trial, a person cannot be kept in custody for an indefinite period of time and it clearly violates the fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution, and time and again has been considered to be a justiciable ground to exercise the discretion to release an accused,” the judge noted in the verdict.