Applying the Union of India v K.A. Najeeb precedent, the Supreme Court released a UAPA defendant held roughly six years without completed trial, citing inordinate pretrial delay. Najeeb permits bail analysis even where anti-terror statutes impose otherwise stringent custody thresholds.
Unlawful Activities Prevention Act cases often involve lengthy investigations, special courts, and voluminous evidence that extend pretrial custody. Defence counsel argued that custody duration exceeded reasonable trial timelines protected under constitutional liberty principles.
Prosecutors emphasized security concerns associated with terrorism allegations while acknowledging incomplete trial milestones. The court weighed Najeeb’s proportionality approach against continued incarceration without adjudication.
Human rights monitors track UAPA bail grants as indicators of judicial pushback on multi-year pretrial detention. Trial courts retain responsibility to expedite hearings now that the accused is released under imposed conditions.
The order extends Najeeb’s application to another long-detention profile, reinforcing apex court scrutiny of delayed UAPA proceedings nationwide.
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