Supreme Court Refuses to Cancel Bail Over Accused's 'Money and Power' Social Media Boast

The Supreme Court has declined to cancel bail granted to a murder accused on the basis of a social media video in which he claimed after release that money and power could get a person anything in the country.

Challenge to the bail order

The complainant appealed against the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order granting bail to the accused, Vishal. After being released, the accused posted a video making remarks about money and power, which the complainant relied upon to argue that the bail order should be reversed.

Supreme Court's response

During the hearing, the Bench characterised the post as a celebration of the accused regaining his personal liberty rather than material establishing improper influence over the judicial process.

The Court accordingly dismissed the appeal seeking cancellation of bail. The underlying criminal prosecution remains unaffected.

Why the distinction matters

Cancellation of bail is different from deciding whether bail should initially be granted. Once liberty has been restored, a court ordinarily looks for legally relevant supervening circumstances, such as interference with the investigation, intimidation of witnesses or other misuse of liberty. The social media statement was not treated as sufficient on its own.