Supreme Court Upholds Bail of Murder Accused Amid Social Media Controversy
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India on Monday rejected a plea to revoke the bail of a murder suspect who made headlines for a controversial social media video. The accused, Vishal, had been granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and subsequently posted a video claiming that “money and power can get you anything in this country.”
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih, and Sandeep Mehta ruled against the plea by the complainant, Rajbala, who sought to challenge the High Court’s decision. During the proceedings, the Supreme Court asserted that Vishal’s video was merely a celebration of his regained freedom and did not necessarily imply any undue influence or corruption.
“Alright. It’s an achievement. He gained his liberty, he was celebrating. If he had money and power, he would have never gotten inside. The money was the lawyer’s fee,” observed the court, dismissing concerns of illicit influence.
This legal battle stems from an incident in October 2022 in Haryana’s Berla village, centered around a land dispute involving the construction of a tin shed. The prosecution alleged that Vishal attacked a woman with a stick and struck Gajanand, who later died from his injuries, with an axe. Vishal was taken into custody on October 28, 2022.
Initially, Vishal’s bail application was denied by the Additional Sessions Judge in February 2024, and his subsequent attempts at the High Court were rejected four times. However, on April 23, 2026, the High Court granted him bail, noting discrepancies between the allegations and the postmortem report, as well as the fact that the weapon recovered was a stick, not an axe. Additionally, the High Court highlighted that Vishal had been in pre-trial detention for over three years and five months, with only 8 out of 31 witnesses examined, thus infringing upon his right to a speedy trial guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Despite the complainant’s reliance on Vishal’s boastful social media video to argue for the cancellation of bail, the Supreme Court chose not to interfere with the High Court’s decision. The court’s ruling emphasized the importance of personal liberty while ensuring the legal process remains untainted by external perceptions.
The petitioner, Rajbala, was represented by Advocate Siddharth Mittal, while Advocates Samar Vijay Singh and Satish Kumar appeared for the respondents.
