Srinagar, May 23 -- Srinagar- Underlining that the criminal justice system does not operate on a presumption of guilt and that undue delay in trials erodes public confidence in the justice delivery mechanism, the High Court of J&K and Ladakh has held that criminal proceedings must be concluded within a reasonable time to ensure fairness in the administration of justice.

"Criminal justice is founded on the principle of fairness. Such fairness is not limited only to providing opportunity of hearing to the parties, but also requires that proceedings are concluded within a reasonable time," said a bench of Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal while directing a Special Court to expedite trial proceedings in a UAPA case registered in 2020 at Bomai polic...