Landmark Cases Related to Speedy Trial
1. Hussainara Khatoon & Ors. vs Home Secretary, State of Bihar 1979
- This case gave rise to the idea of a speedy trial, it was held that if convicted, under trial inmates’ continued incarceration in jail would be completely unjustifiable and in violation of the fundamental right under Article 21.
- Excessive delays violate Article 21 of the Constitution, such as when a case drags on for more than 11 years without any progress for no faults of the accused-petitioner.
- Everyone has the fundamental right to expeditiousness, which cannot be violated unless any of the parties can be accused of the delay. The Right to petition for bail is granted to the accused when the trial is unnecessarily delayed.
- It was also held that no adjournment will be given unless and until the judiciary is powerless to change the circumstances. The judiciary is in charge of monitoring convicts who are awaiting trials and bringing them to justice. A person can not be deprived of their Rights due to Overcrowded courts, inadequate resources, or fiscal deficiency.
2. Katar Singh vs the State of Punjab
- It was declared that the Right to Speedy Trial was deemed to be a crucial component of the fundamental rights to life and liberty.
- Thus, it can be concluded that the Right to a Speedy Trial is the right of the accused and it encompasses all the stages including the investigation, inquiry, trial, appeal, revision, and retrial.
Right To Speedy Trial
The idea behind the Right to Speedy Trial is to resolve matters as quickly as possible to improve the effectiveness and reliability of the judicial system. Right to Speedy Trial’s primary goal is to promote justice in society. It was first mentioned in the “Magna Carta”, a landmark document of British law. It is one of the fundamental human rights as without Speedy Trial justice can not be said to be done. It has been validated by almost all international charters and conventions.