The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Uttar Pradesh jail authorities for delaying the release of an accused despite the apex court granting him bail nearly two months ago in a case under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
A bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to pay an ad hoc compensation of ₹5 lakh to the accused, who was eventually released from Ghaziabad district jail on June 24—almost two months after bail was granted on April 29.
“What do you propose to do to sensitise your officers?” the bench asked the state’s Director General of Prisons, who appeared via video conferencing. The court stressed that jail officers must be educated about the importance of personal liberty as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
“Liberty is a very valuable and precious right guaranteed under the Constitution,” the bench observed, expressing concern over the disregard for such a fundamental right.
Counsel for Uttar Pradesh submitted that the accused had been released on June 24 and that an inquiry was underway to identify the reasons behind the delay. The Court directed that this inquiry be conducted by the Principal District and Sessions Judge of Ghaziabad, who must furnish a report to the Court.
On Tuesday, the apex court had expressed strong disapproval upon learning that jail authorities allegedly refused to release the accused on the grounds that a sub-section of the anti-conversion law was not specifically mentioned in the bail order.
Notably, after the Supreme Court granted bail on April 29, the Ghaziabad trial court issued a release order on May 27, directing the jail superintendent to free the accused upon execution of a personal bond, unless detained in any other matter.
