The Supreme Court criticized the Punjab & Haryana High Court for a 2-year delay in a bail hearing, stressing that courts must be sensitive in matters of personal liberty.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India, on 18th July 2025, took a serious view of prolonged delays in hearing bail petitions, particularly in matters affecting personal liberty. The case, Jagtar Singh vs. State of Punjab, arose from a Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 9841/2025, which challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s repeated adjournments in a pending bail application since August 2023.
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Background
The petitioner, Jagtar Singh, had been seeking bail from the High Court for nearly two years. However, the matter was adjourned many times, mostly at the behest of the complainant or the State. This pattern of delay continued even in the latest hearing, where the presiding High Court judge recused from the case and listed it again pending administrative orders.
What Did the Supreme Court Say?
The bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta initially appeared disinclined to intervene but was persuaded by counsel’s submission highlighting the egregious delay.
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In its order, the Court emphasized:
“It has been repeatedly observed by this Court that in the matter of personal liberty, the Courts should be sensitive and should not delay such matters nor grant frivolous adjournments.”
The Court went on to criticize the pendency of the matter since 2023 as unjustifiable and issued a notice returnable on 19th August 2025, directing that the order be forwarded to the Registrar General of the Punjab & Haryana High Court for placing it before the Hon’ble Chief Justice.
Case Title: Jagtar Singh vs. State of Punjab
Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 9841/2025
READ ORDER HERE
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