Supreme Court Grants Bail to Murder Undertrial Over Speedy‑Trial Violation

Overview

• The Supreme Court bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi, which ruled on Monday, granted bail to Sahil Manoj Machare after nearly four years in jail with no witness examined.
• The judges said the right to a speedy trial under Article 21 must guide bail even for grave charges when a case stalls.
• Machare was arrested on November 1, 2022, in a Kolhapur murder case under IPC Sections 302 and 34, with a charge sheet in September 2023 and charges framed in 2024.
• Setting aside a March order of the Bombay High Court that had refused bail on the offence’s gravity, the top court ordered release on terms to be set by the trial judge if he is not needed in another case.
• LiveLaw noted the same bench recently granted bail in another long-running murder case, a sign the court may push lower courts to move trials faster and avoid prolonged pre-trial custody.