Kazi Atikuddin Amiruddin v. the State of Maharashtra
Case brief
What is this about?
Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court disposes of bail application by fixing a six-month outer limit for completion of a pending sessions trial, superseding the nine-month timeline ordered on 8 December 2023 after the Registry reported only 11 of 34 witnesses examined. Key terms: speedy trial / expeditious conclusion; continuous sessions trial ('once started it shall not be stopped'); hearings twice or thrice weekly; bar on adjournments to prosecution or defence unless extreme urgency or reasonable ground; production of undertrial prisoners by jail authority and escort party, with sanction under Chapter X of the Indian Penal Code for persistent non-production; power to impose heavy costs on accused whose advocates or the public prosecutor impede expedition. Judge: Sanjay A. Deshmukh; Applicant's counsel: Satej S. Jadhav; APP: P. V. Diggikar.
What did the court decide?
Bail application disposed of with directions to the Trial Court: conclude the trial within six months; continue the sessions trial without interruption; hold sittings twice or thrice weekly; refuse adjournments absent extreme urgency or reasonable ground; warn and, on continued default, act against jail authority/escort party for non-production of undertrials under Chapter X IPC; and impose heavy costs on concerned accused where their advocates or the public prosecutor obstruct expedition.