Overview
- Speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the former CJI said bail may be denied only for risk of reoffending, flight risk, or likely tampering with evidence.
- He warned that modern national-security statutes risk inverting the presumption of innocence and must face rigorous judicial scrutiny.
- Responding to questions on the Supreme Court’s recent refusal of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, he highlighted years-long incarceration as a reason courts must weigh the right to a speedy trial.
- He attributed a surge of bail matters to lower-court reluctance, noting the Supreme Court handles roughly 70,000 cases a year and disposed of about 21,000–24,000 bail applications during his tenure.
- He urged stronger civil-liberties guardrails, stating that uncivil speech is not a crime, lamented the absence of a marital-rape law, and pointed to transparency steps such as live-streaming hearings and translating judgments.