The Supreme Court Thursday said that in cases like those under the UAPA where there is a presumption of guilt of the accused, the state must also take steps to ensure speedy trial even as it underlined that protection of Article 21 rights “cannot be the sole ground of consideration in cases…where the security or integrity of the nation is called into question”.

“A constitutional democracy does not legitimise burdens by simply declaring them; it must ensure that those burdened are meaningfully equipped to bear them, even those who are accused of the worst offences imaginable. If the State, in spite of all its might presumes guilt, then the same State must also, with the employment of all the resources at its command, create pathways through which the accused can reclaim their innocence. Ne

See Full Page