In a strong rebuke to prison authorities, the Supreme Court on 25 June 2025 ordered ₹5 lakh in ad hoc compensation to a petitioner who remained in jail for 28 days despite a valid bail order dated 27 May 2025.
The Court termed the delay—caused by a missing sub-section reference in the release order—a serious dereliction of duty. It rejected the State’s technical justification, emphasized that liberty cannot be denied on trivial grounds, and ordered a judicial inquiry into whether the delay was due to negligence or malice.
The Director General (Prisons) has also been directed to sensitize officers on upholding court orders and individual liberty under Article 21.
Read the Order