The Supreme Court of India Landmark Judgments on Bail

The Supreme Court of India has delivered several landmark judgments on bail, including:

Bail is the rule, jail is the exception

The Supreme Court has ruled that bail is the rule and jail is the exception, even for special statutes. This means that denying bail to deserving cases would violate the rights guaranteed under Article 21.

Fresh bail application

The Supreme Court ruled that if there is a prolonged delay in the conduct of a trial, the appellant can file a fresh bail application. The Court also ruled that the appellant should not be made to run from pillar to post, and that the Supreme Court can decide the bail plea once the charge sheet has been filed.

Anticipatory Bail

The Supreme Court ruled that an accused is entitled to seek anticipatory bail in connection with an offense, as long as they are not arrested in relation to that offense.

Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia and others. vs. State of Punjab

This case is considered one of the most important judgments of the Supreme Court related to anticipatory bail. 

A landmark judgment is one that opens up new directions in constitutional values