The Supreme Court came down heavily upon celebratory rallies after bail, stressing that such events can intimidate witnesses
Politicians holding rallies after their release from jail has become a common sight. In view of this, the Supreme Court recently said that getting bail should not be considered as an acquittal and celebrations after being granted bail may scare witnesses.
The apex court’s observation on Thursday came after an accused from Maharashtra recently celebrated his release by holding a road show which caused inconvenience to commuters.
The accused Sopan Gade’s bail was first rejected by the Bombay High Court in a 2013 murder case. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court after being in jail for more than a decade. As soon as bail was granted, celebrations broke out on the streets. This prompted the Judge to threaten to cancel his bail in the recent ruling.
Gade’s elaborate roadshow featured 100 to 150 four wheelers and 70-80 bikes which caused a lot of inconvenience to commuters. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by complainant Asif Khan. Khan stated before the bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan that the highway was blocked for around five to six hours owing to Gade’s road show.
Expressing its displeasure after hearing the matter, the Supreme Court Justice said that Gade has become habituated in taking out rallies with his supporters after getting bail from the court. When the Judge asked Gade’s lawyer about this, he responded saying that the procession was taken out by Gade’s supporters and not by them. The Bench instructed Gade to apologize for his action and give an undertaking that he will not repeat it in future.
