Years
Justice Suryakant and Justice N. Kotishwar Singh, who are presiding over the bench, directed the Registrar General of the Jharkhand High Court to present a sealed report in which the details of the cases in which the decisions were reserved, but the decisions were not pronounced for more than two months.
The Supreme Court has sought a detailed report from the Jharkhand High Court regarding the delay in pronouncement of verdict on safe appeals in 2022. The order was issued after a petition by the convicts who were sentenced to four life imprisonment, alleging that their appeal against conviction has not been resolved. Justice Suryakant and Justice N. Kotishwar Singh, who are presiding over the bench, directed the Registrar General of the Jharkhand High Court to present a sealed report in which the details of the cases in which the decisions were reserved, but the decisions were not pronounced for more than two months.
Petitioners represented by advocate Fauzia Shakeel- Pila Pahan, Soma Badang, Satyanarayana Sahu and Dharmesh Oraon argued that they were kept in jail for a period of 11 to 16 years. He is accused of murder and rape, each currently serving a life sentence.
The culprits belonging to the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes said that their appeal was heard and the Jharkhand High Court reserved the verdict in 2022, yet no decision was pronounced. The petition was also highlighted the widespread implications of delays and said that in addition to four petitioners, ten other convicts are trapped in a similar situation, and their decisions have been pending for almost three years. In response, the Supreme Court has also issued a notice on the bail plea filed by the culprits and sought the state government’s point of view about the case.
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