Published June 6, 2026 | Version v1
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Bail is the Rule, Jail is an Exception: A Constitutional Perspective on Bail Jurisprudence in India

Authors/Creators

  • 1. LL.M., 247/PLL/009 School of Law, Justice & Governance, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida (U. P.) Email: adjpriyankasingh@gmail.com
  • 2. Assistant Professor School of Law, Justice & Governance, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida (U.P.) Email: santoshtiwari@gbu.ac.in

Description

The principle that "bail is the rule and jail is an exception" is an integral feature of the Indian Criminal jurisprudence which gets its normative authority from the guarantee of personal liberty by Article 21. The paper provides a constitutional overview of the concept of bail in India, starting with the presumption of innocence, the legislative provisions under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (now replaced by Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023) and the judicial interpretation through various cases, including State of Rajasthan v. Balchand (1977) and Arvind Dham v. Directorate of Enforcement (2026). The paper critically reviews the application of bail principles under special statutory provisions in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 which set very high conditions for granting bail. It highlights systemic issues such as arbitrary arrest, overcrowding of prisons (with more that 75% undertrial prisoners), socio-economic discrimination, judicial inconsistencies and conditions imposed on the granting of bail. The paper, based on the recent directions of the Supreme Court in the Satender Kumar Antil (2022) cases and the recent trend in granting bail to the accused in high-profile cases, assesses the current trend of bail jurisprudence and proposes recommendations with regard to the statutory amendment and safeguard in the procedure so that liberty is the rule.

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Dates

Issued
2026-06-06
published

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References

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