The Supreme Court has deemed the Orissa High Court's order limiting bail to two months in an NDPS case as incorrect. Citing the right to a speedy trial, the apex court ruled that the petitioner should remain on bail pending the trial's final resolution.

In a notable legal development, the Supreme Court has criticized an Orissa High Court order that had restricted the bail period of an accused in an NDPS case to just two months. Asserting that the right to a speedy trial is a constitutional guarantee closely linked to personal liberty, the apex court declared the high court's decision as incorrect.

The ruling came from a vacation bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan, who referenced an earlier Supreme Court verdict that reinforced the importance of a timely trial. The petitioner, in custody since May 11, 2022, had seen only one witness examined so far in the case.

The Supreme Court stated that if the high court believed the petitioner's right to a speedy trial had been violated, it should have granted bail pending the trial's final resolution. Consequently, the bench issued notice on the petitioner's plea and directed that he remain on bail until further orders.

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