Overview
- A Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta condemned the prolonged detention as "appalling" and "illegal."
- Tonlong Konyak was arrested on July 23, 2023, near the Nagaland border, and the chargesheet was filed only on July 30/31, 2025, with trial courts having already granted him default bail in two connected cases.
- The court reiterated that Section 43D of the UAPA permits extension for filing a chargesheet only by express judicial order and only up to 180 days.
- On a preliminary reading, the bench found no incriminating recovery from Konyak and no direct evidence linking him to alleged extortion.
- Assam’s counsel cited absconding co‑accused and claimed Konyak is a Myanmar national who entered illegally, arguments earlier accepted by the Gauhati High Court when it denied bail in December 2024.