Vishvjeet v. State of Uttar Pradesh 2026 INSC 254
Summary: Contractual toll‑plaza employees from Madhya Pradesh were arrested in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, after a scuffle with an advocate who allegedly refused to pay toll, and they remained in custody for over two months amid a hostile atmosphere created by local lawyers, including a bar‑level boycott and violent attacks on the only advocate who filed their bail application. The Supreme Court condemned the hooliganism of the Bar, noted that the FIR disclosed no ground to deny bail, and held that continued incarceration violated the petitioners’ fundamental right to personal liberty under Article 21, warranting intervention under Article 32. The Court ordered their immediate release on bail, transferred the criminal proceedings to the Tis Hazari Courts, New Delhi for further steps and trial, directed the DGP Uttar Pradesh to ensure their safety and escort them to a safe location, and sent the order to the Bar Council of India and the DGP for appropriate action.
Case Info
Case Information
Case name and neutral citation:Vishvjeet and Others v. State of Uttar Pradesh and Another, 2026 INSC 254
Coram (Bench):Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta
Judgment date:17 March 2026 (New Delhi)
Caselaws and Citations
The order as extracted does not refer to or rely on any prior case law or judicial precedents. It proceeds on first principles of personal liberty and fair trial under Articles 21 and 32, without citing earlier decisions.
Statutes / Laws Referred
The following legal provisions are mentioned:
- Constitution of India:Article 32 – writ jurisdiction of the Supreme Court for enforcement of fundamental rights.Article 21 – protection of life and personal liberty.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023:Offences alleged in the FIR under Sections 115(2), 352, 351(3), 109(1), 110, 311 and 3(5) BNS, 2023 (as recorded in para 5).
- National Security Act:Referred to only in context of a request by the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh to the Chief Minister for its invocation against the petitioners.
Three‑Sentence Brief Summary
Contractual toll‑plaza employees from Madhya Pradesh were arrested in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, after a scuffle with an advocate who allegedly refused to pay toll, and they remained in custody for over two months amid a hostile atmosphere created by local lawyers, including a bar‑level boycott and violent attacks on the only advocate who filed their bail application. The Supreme Court condemned the hooliganism of the Bar, noted that the FIR disclosed no ground to deny bail, and held that continued incarceration violated the petitioners’ fundamental right to personal liberty under Article 21, warranting intervention under Article 32. The Court ordered their immediate release on bail, transferred the criminal proceedings arising from FIR No. 15/2026 to the Tis Hazari Courts, New Delhi for further steps and trial, directed the DGP Uttar Pradesh to ensure their safety and escort them to a safe location, and sent the order to the Bar Council of India and the DGP for appropriate action.
