Supreme Court grants interim bail after accused held 14 months without trial

The case concerns a petition by Dev Kumar Paswan seeking interim bail, arguing he is in a better position than a co-accused who was recently granted bail, and questioning why he was not produced before the trial court for nearly 14 months, which allegedly prevented the framing of charges.

Who it concerns: Petitioner: Dev Kumar Paswan; Respondent: State of Bihar; Bench: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Dipankar Datta and Hon'ble Mr. Justice Sheel Nagu.

What the court decided

• Directed the release of the petitioner on interim bail, operative until the next hearing, subject to terms imposed by the trial court.
• Ordered the investigating officer to submit a report to the Supreme Court explaining the real reason for the non-production of the petitioner before the trial court.
• Required the Registrar General of the High Court to obtain a report from the relevant trial court regarding the non-production issue, to be placed in a sealed cover by 15th November, 2026.
• Re-listed the special leave petition for 17th November, 2026.

Also in the document

• The Court noted that the petitioner was not produced before the trial court for a period of almost 14 months (from 10th May, 2025 to 29th July, 2025).
• The Court observed that the trial court had not required the petitioner to be produced despite the affidavit stating charges could not be framed for this reason.
• The interim bail is granted based on the view that the petitioner stands on a better footing than co-accused Sanjay Singh Bhokta, who was granted bail by the High Court on 13th May, 2026.