Supreme Court Becoming ‘Bail Court’, Says Justice B.V. Nagarathna Highlighting Systemic Overload

Justice B.V. Nagarathna observed that the Supreme Court has increasingly turned into a “bail court,” with 25 bail matters heard one day and 19 the next, leading to exhaustion from repeatedly granting or refusing bail.

She highlighted the rising crime rate and stressed the need for judicial impact assessments.

The bench noted that better compliance by lower courts and more benches could reduce the number of bail cases reaching the apex court.

Justice Nagarathna emphasized that by the time bail matters reach the Supreme Court, trials have often already begun, pointing to systemic overload.