Supreme Court says judges must keep personal views on morality out of bail and criminal trial decisions

30 September 2026

A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar passed an order in Kanha @ Kanhaiya Singh v. State of Madhya Pradesh on 23 September 2026; the ruling was reported on 30 September 2026.
The Supreme Court set aside the Madhya Pradesh High Court's refusal of bail and granted bail.
It noted that the appellant had been in custody for over one year with the trial still pending.
The bench said courts should refrain from imposing the personal views or value judgment of the presiding judge on morality while deciding a bail matter or a criminal trial.
It did not accept the High Court's reasoning that denying bail protected social order and the moral standing of the victim's family.