Overview
- A Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta on Friday granted bail to Tonlong Konyak after noting a two-year custody without a timely chargesheet.
- The court called the detention "appalling" and "illegal," stressing that UAPA permits extensions only up to 180 days by a specific judicial order.
- Konyak was arrested on July 23, 2023, and the chargesheet was filed only on July 30, 2025, well past the statutory window.
- The Gauhati High Court had denied bail on December 20, 2024, citing alleged illegal entry and Section 43D(7), a view the Supreme Court rejected in granting relief.
- Assam’s counsel said Konyak is a Myanmar national linked to multiple cases and that co-accused are absconding, but the bench emphasized default-bail principles and noted he had earlier received default bail in two other UAPA matters.