“Fair, speedy trial expected”: Bombay HC says judicial system is answerable to accused – Times Now

The special court’s failure to begin the trial within six months of its order caused the high court to express its concern with the proceeding’s poor pace, The Indian Express reported.

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On September 5, Justice Bharati H. Dangre’s single-judge panel heard a bail request from Abdul Nasir Bhai Miya Shaikh, who had been detained since February 4, 2018.

After the high court ordered a special court to accelerate the trial, he withdrew his application for bail.

On April 7 of last year, the high court gave the applicant permission to resubmit his bail request if the charges are not filed and the trial is not started within six months.

Nevertheless, more than six months have passed since the ruling was issued, and the accused has once more applied for release before the court through attorney Ayaz Khan.

The trial has “not even advanced an inch” until September 3, 2022, according to the judge, who noted that the charges were filed in the case three months after the high court’s ruling. The court observed that even though there are about 15 witnesses in the case, the trial has not yet started.

“This depicts the sorrowful state of affairs as the applicant remained incarcerated since February 4, 2018, and more than four years have expired,” observed Justice Dangre.

“The judicial system is also answerable to the accused who are incarcerated, though no serious charges and what is the bare minimum expected from this system is a fair and speedy trial,” he added.