Anticipatory bail plea backlog down by a fourth since June

Court sources say they receive a hundred-odd anticipatory bail applications each month,a pace disposal rates did not match. Since August 1,the court has already received 73 new cases.

“When the new principal judge took over in June,the backlog was at least 400 cases. Earlier principal judges used to assign anticipatory bail matters to various courts by rotation. Cases would thus drag,” said a court officer.

“It’s a major hassle when the application gets delayed. There could be various reasons for the delay. But in sensitive cases these delays hamper the investigations,” said public prosecutor R V Kini,who feels some applications relate to trivial cases and take up the court’s time.

Legal experts say it is the applicant more often than the police who exploits the delay. “Unable to dispose of a case immediately,the court grants interim relief to the applicant. Once anticipatory bail is obtained,hardly any accused returns to the court,” said advocate Mubin Solkar.