Published on : 24 Sep 2025, 12:31 pm 3 min read

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pressed the State of Maharashtra to explain why the trial in the 2016 Surajgarh arson case has not begun despite human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling spending over six years in custody [Surendra Pundalik Gadling v. State of Maharashtra] .

A Bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi was hearing Gadling’s plea for bail. The Court said that its main concern was the delay in the trial and the length of incarceration.

“Why is the trial not going on? This is the main concern. If you keep a person in custody without trial, for how many years?” Justice Maheshwari asked.

Senior Advocate Anand Grover , appearing for Gadling, said that the case was unusual because the petitioner was a practis

See Full Page