The Supreme Court has intervened in a significant case, urging the Attorney General to contemplate granting bail to two accused individuals who have been in remand for over 4 years in a High Court Trial at bar case.
This matter was brought before the Supreme Court following the Court of Appeal's decision to deny bail to the two accused individuals. One of them, 80-year-old Rasheed Ibrahim, has been in remand for 4 years and 6 months, suffering from multiple health complications. The other, 18-year-old Ahkam Akram, has been in remand for 4 years and 2 months, awaiting trial.
The Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justice Murdu Fernando PC, Justice A H M D Nawaz, and Justice Priyantha Fernando, suggested that the Attorney General consider consenting to bail for these two individuals. They have rescheduled the appeals for further argument on October 13, 2023.
The accused had initially applied for bail from the Court of Appeal under the original jurisdiction provisions granted to the Court of Appeal by Article 138(2) of the Constitution.
During the Supreme Court inquiry, M. M. Zuhair PC, representing the two accused, emphasized that neither of them had previous convictions and argued that 4 ½ years of confinement without a fair trial is an unduly lengthy period for individuals awaiting their day in court.
