Courts can't stop people from engaging in political activities as condition of bail: SC

Supreme Court quashes bail condition banning political activity, citing breach of fundamental rights in Orissa High Court case.

The Supreme Court has quashed the bail condition imposed by the Orissa High Court on a man that he shall not be involved in any political activity, saying it will breach his fundamental rights.

A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta passed the order on a plea filed by Siba Shankar Das, a former Mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation, against the January 18 order of the high court.

The high court had dismissed his application seeking withdrawal of the bail condition which said that he "shall not create any untoward situation in public and shall not be involved in any political activities, directly or indirectly".

The condition was imposed by the high court while ordering his release on bail in August 2022.

"We find that the imposition of such condition would breach the fundamental rights of the appellant and no such conditions could have been imposed," the apex court said in its March 22 order.

"We, therefore, quash and set aside the condition imposed by the high court, to the extent the same is extracted above," it said.

Das had approached the high court seeking modification of the condition imposed by it in the August 11, 2022 order while directing his release on bail.