During COVID the grim reality of delay in bails was highlighted .
It was repeatedly noticed that bails were granted, yet delay in conveying the same to jail administration kept the convicts in prison for longer. The archaic laws underlined by bureaucratic red tapism creates unnecessary tardiness in many spheres.
In July 2021, the Hon’ble Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance where in Agra the convicts were kept in prison despite getting bails, all because bail order had not reached jail administration by post.
The Hon’ble CJI N V Ramana said “We are in a time when we use information technology tools, and we are still looking at the skies for pigeons to communicate orders… It is too much that prisoners have to wait even after the Supreme Court has granted bail as jails are insisting on the bail order to come by post.” July ,2021
In March, 2022, the Hon’ble CJI Ramana, inaugrated Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records (FASTER), a software developed for the purpose of expediting bail order and electronically transmitting them. A nodal officer helps pass order to concerned authority. 73 officers have been appointed at various levels , who are connected under a Judicial Commission Network. A ‘FASTER’ cell has been established in the Supreme Court, and around 1883 emails have been generated for the same.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court has also called for a separate “bail law” to prevent unnecessary arrests.
Recently in July, 2022, The Hon’ble CJI Ramana said “In our criminal justice system, the process is the punishment. From hasty indiscriminate arrests, to difficulty in obtaining bail, the process leading to the prolonged incarceration of undertrials needs urgent attention”.
In the past year, we have seen that the Hon’ble Supreme Court has reiterated that “Bail is the rule, Jail exception”. Judiciary has also taken steps to make justice reach faster by using technology. It may look like a small step, but for undertrials and convicts, it is a big relief.
