'Justice Delayed Can't Be Defended': SC Warns Maharashtra Over Trial Delays

The Supreme Court on Saturday sharply criticized the Maharashtra government for routinely opposing bail pleas while failing to ensure the speedy completion of criminal trials , warning that such lapses could be publicly exposed if they continued.

A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Sheel Nagu made the remarks while hearing the bail plea of a foreign national arrested in a kidnapping and murder case.

Expressing concern over repeated delays, the bench observed, “Every day, we get cases of this nature from Maharashtra. You oppose bail tooth and nail, but do not take steps to expedite the trial. When we examine the case, the evidence is weak. We will expose you in public.”

The accused informed the court that he had remained in jail for four years . Although the matter was listed before the trial court on 86 occasions , he was not produced on 53 hearing dates . The apex court described the failure to produce the accused as a serious lapse on the part of the state.

Referring to the constitutional right to a speedy trial , the bench noted that only two of the 34 prosecution witnesses had been examined over the past four years. It observed that while states are entitled to oppose bail, they also have a corresponding duty to ensure that trials proceed without unnecessary delay.

Counsel for the Maharashtra government submitted that the state was now producing accused persons before trial courts on every hearing date. However, the Supreme Court directed that at least four witnesses be examined each week in the case and ordered that its directions be placed before the trial court. It also warned that similar stringent orders would follow in future cases if such delays persisted.