Supreme Court Grants Bail in Five-Year Undertrial Case

The Supreme Court has granted bail to Tota Pahelwan, an undertrial prisoner held for nearly five years in an attempted murder case. The decision, given by Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan, comes amid significant trial delays, with only five witnesses examined thus far out of the intended 22.

The Supreme Court has stepped in to provide relief in a drawn-out attempt-to-murder case by granting bail to an undertrial who had been languishing in jail for nearly five years. The court's decision highlighted the significant delays in the trial process.

A Bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan passed the bail order in response to a Special Leave Petition filed by Tota Pahelwan, also known as Sunil Yadav. He had challenged the decision of the Allahabad High Court, which had denied him regular bail.

The petitioner was implicated in a case under Sections 323 and 307 of the IPC at Sikandrabad Police Station, Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. Remarkably, despite the prolonged judicial custody, only five witnesses had been examined, with the prosecution intending to present 22 witnesses.

Considering the case details and noting the release of a similarly charged co-accused, the Bench exercised discretion and ordered Pahelwan's immediate release on bail, specifying that the trial should proceed expeditiously regardless. Advocates Dr. Alakh Alok Srivastava and Arpit Dangi represented the petitioner, while Senior Advocate Rajdipa Behura appeared for the state alongside Advocate-on-Record Dr. Vijendra Singh.