The Supreme Court has urged courts across the country to expedite trials involving undertrial prisoners, stressing that personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution cannot be curtailed for an indefinite period.
The observation came while hearing a bail appeal in a Rajasthan corruption case linked to the implementation of the Centre’s Jal Jeevan scheme during the 2018–23 Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot. The allegations include obtaining contracts using fake certificates and paying bribes to officials.
After the BJP formed the government in 2023 under Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case against 22 people, including former Congress minister Chandra Joshi (72). Joshi and another accused, Mukesh Pathak, were arrested and have been in custody since May 7 and February 18 respectively. Three charge sheets have been filed.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Shail Nagu noted that while large-scale financial irregularities and alleged collusion within official machinery must be investigated, the seriousness of allegations alone cannot justify denying bail or keeping undertrials in jail without time limits. With investigation completed and a trial expected to take long due to 124 witnesses and around 20,000 pages of documents, the court ordered their release on bail.
The court imposed conditions including surrendering passports, not attempting to influence witnesses, and appearing before the trial court without fail.
