3 min readNew DelhiMay 4, 2026 05:29 PM IST
The Supreme Court Monday declared “null and void” bail conditions imposed by various courts in Odisha that required accused persons to clean police stations. Terming such orders “obnoxious” and reflective of “caste bias,” the top court warned that such practices bring a bad name to the Indian judiciary.
The apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of news reports regarding bail orders issued against activists involved in anti-mining protests. The reports highlighted that the accused primarily belonged to Dalit and Adivasi communities.
One specific order from the Odisha High Court, dated May 28, 2025, directed an applicant to clean the premises of the Kashipur police station every morning between 6 am and 9 am for two months. Similar conditions were found in seven other orders from trial courts across the state.
“Such conditions, far from advancing the cause of justice, strike at the dignity of the accused and proceed on the premise of guilt, which is completely impermissible in law,” the bench observed.
Addressing Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant remarked, “Directing the accused to clean the police station for two months, this should not be a condition a judiciary should be imposing in 2026.”
The court noted the disparity in how such conditions were applied. “There seems to be some force in the reportage that no such conditions are being imposed in cases where the accused are from the privileged sections of society,” the order stated.
The bench added that even if these conditions were imposed inadvertently, they were so “abhorrent, cruel, and degrading” that they cast a serious aspersion on the state’s judiciary, suggesting an affliction of caste-based bias.
Story continues below this ad
Reminding the courts of their duty to safeguard constitutional guarantees of equality, the bench emphasised that the judiciary must “zealously protect those who are most vulnerable”.
It said, “Over course of 75 years of the Constitutional journey, the judiciary has transformed the principle of equality into a potent instrument in the hands of the citizens, ensuring that the might of the state cannot transgress fundamental rights.”
The Supreme Court ruled that such “caste-coloured and oppressive conditions” must not be imposed by any court in India, warning that they have the potential to generate serious social friction. The Registry has been directed to circulate the order to every High Court in the country to ensure immediate compliance.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
