Supreme Court rules that even under UAPA, bail is the rule

New Delhi, May 18 -- The Supreme Court on Monday reaffirmed that "bail is the rule and jail is the exception", holding that this principle applies even under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The Court expressed criticism of its January 5 ruling denying bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid and activist Sharjeel Imam in the alleged larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots.

Reiterating that "bail is the rule and jail is the exception," the Court stressed that this principle remains applicable even in prosecutions under the UAPA.

A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice BV Nagarathna observed that the principle that bail is the rule was not merely a statutory concept under the CrPC but a constitutional princ...