New Delhi, May 30 -- Underlining that the liberty of an individual cannot be curtailed by the State on account of slow bureaucratic processes, the Supreme Court on Friday awarded Rs 11 lakh compensation to a man who was kept in illegal custody for 24 days despite court issuing his release order.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Augustine George Masih was hearing a plea filed by the man who was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of four years for rioting and house-trespass by a court in Alwar, Rajasthan.

He applied for permanent parole on December 3, 2023, but his plea was rejected on January 18, 2024. He later challenged the order before the Rajasthan High Court.

A single judge allowed his petition on November 5, 2024, and directed...