New Delhi, 25 June

The Supreme Court on Wednesday strongly rebuked the Uttar Pradesh government for failing to release a prisoner from Ghaziabad jail despite a bail order issued by the apex court. A bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and NK Singh directed the state to pay ₹5 lakh as provisional compensation to the accused, who remained in custody for 28 extra days due to a clerical error.

The delay was attributed to the omission of a sub-section — Section 5(i) instead of Section 5 — in both the bail and release orders. The bench, however, dismissed this justification, stating that personal liberty cannot be denied over "useless technicalities" or "irrelevant errors" when the case details are otherwise clear.

The Ghaziabad Jail Superintendent appeared in court, and the UP DIG (Prisons) joined virtually. The accused was finally released after the court took cognizance of the matter.

Justice Viswanathan questioned the rationale behind not executing the order, warning that such nitpicking may be a serious dereliction of duty. The court emphasised that the "substance of the order" must be prioritized, and urged steps to sensitise prison officials. The UP DIG assured the court of corrective measures, which were recorded in the official order.