Supreme Court Upholds Bail for RSS Workers: A Landmark Verdict

The Supreme Court, on Monday, asserted that criminal antecedents cannot be the sole basis for denying bail, providing relief to five RSS workers accused of murdering SDPI leader K S Shan in December 2021 in Kerala.

The apex court bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, reviewed the chargesheet involving 141 witnesses and acknowledged the protracted nature of the trial. The court emphasized that the accused had not engaged in similar offenses since securing bail.

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court set aside a previous Kerala High Court order and reiterated the principle of 'bail is the rule and jail an exception,' subjecting the accused to stringent conditions to ensure cooperation with the trial proceedings.

(With inputs from agencies.)