Govt mulls law for clarity on bail norms

The  Government is contemplating a comprehensive Bail Act clearly defining the conditions for grant of relief to the accused so as to no longer leave it to the discretion of courts.

In an internal note to the Law Secretary suggesting statutory norms for grant of bail, Law Minister DV Sadananda Gowda has said that "all is not well with the way cases relating to grant of bail are being handled" and while those with resources are able to secure relief, "the poorer lot languish in jails". He has suggested the need to examine the desirability of having a separate Bail Act under a "major revamp" of the bail system. Law Secretary P K Malhotra has referred the matter to the Law Commission requesting it to submit a report within six months.

The law panel <g data-gr-id="26">advices</g> government on complex legal issues. Gowda said though the judiciary adopts a very elaborate procedure to deal with matters related to grant of bail, "still the system has the general perception among people that grant or denial is highly unpredictable...the bail system is linked inextricably to property and financial well-being of the accused, meaning thereby that accused persons with means."  Noting that there is a "growing dissatisfaction among public about the system of grant of bail", he said <g data-gr-id="21">though</g> grant of bail is a uniform and reasonable <g data-gr-id="23">provision</g> in theory, "in practice it does not prove to be so."