Mass Bails For One-Time Offenders In Uttar Pradesh Jails, Top Court Direct High Court

The Supreme Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the Allahabad High Court to grant mass bails to first-time offenders who have been in jail for ten years or more. Due to the high pendency of cases in front of the Allahabad High Court, which is currently hearing the appeals of the 1980s, there are over 1,500 inmates who are first-time offenders and are awaiting their trials. In August 2021, the state government informed the top Court that more than 1.83 lakh criminal appeals were pending in front of the High Court and the Lucknow bench.

737 Convicts In Jail For Over 14 Years

The twin-judge Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh asked the Allahabad High Court to club the cases of 1,561 prisoners who have been languishing in the jails for years, The Times of India reported. Moreover, the Court also directed the state government to consider the remission pleas of the inmates. As per the data filed with the Court, there are nearly 737 convicts in the jails for more than 14 years and about 834 convicts who have been in prison for ten to fourteen years.

2019 Was The Most Efficient Year

The Bench said, "We see no reason why these cases are not dealt with in one go by asking the state government to take a stand in respect of such cases which are single-offence cases and pending for ten years or more unless there are special circumstances". The most efficient year in which the Allahabad High Court heard 5,231 cases was 2019. The top Court had earlier directed the high Court for mass bails when it was hearing the plea of over a dozen petitioners who had been in the jail for as long as 17 years.

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