Former Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud said bail should be the rule when an expeditious trial is not possible, while commenting on the repeated denial of bail to activist Umar Khalid, who has been in jail since September 2020 without trial. Chandrachud said pretrial detention could not be used as punishment and stressed that the law was founded on the presumption of innocence until guilt was proven. He noted that bail could be denied only if there was a risk of reoffending, tampering with evidence, or fleeing. Chandrachud warned that national security laws had increasingly reversed this principle. He also underlined that Article 21 guaranteed the right to a speedy trial and said courts must examine such cases carefully. He was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Bail denial should not become punishment, ex-CJI Chandrachud remarks in Umar Khalid case
