Former FBCCI president and Member of Parliament AK Azad has made explosive allegations against the country’s judicial and law enforcement systems, claiming that a High Court judge was stripped of his bench for granting bail to detainees who faced no specific charges.
Speaking at a recent event, Azad expressed deep concern over what he described as systemic erosion of justice, rampant police harassment, and the resulting exodus of talented young people from the country.
“Granting Bail Cost Him His Bench”
Recounting a personal conversation with a High Court judge, AK Azad said he had questioned why people were being arrested indiscriminately and denied bail despite the absence of concrete allegations.
According to Azad, the judge told him that after granting bail to individuals whose names were not even mentioned in FIRs and against whom there were no specific charges, he soon found himself without a bench assignment.
Quoting the judge, Azad said, “One justice told me, ‘I granted bail for some time, and then I saw that I no longer had a bench.’”
Police Harassment and ‘Extortion Trade’
AK Azad launched a scathing attack on the role of the police, alleging that people are being picked up arbitrarily from neighborhoods and subjected to extortion while in custody.
He claimed that detainees are often asked to pay money or “bakshish” at police stations. “Those who can pay are released, and those who cannot are sent to jail with false cases under the Narcotics Act,” he alleged.
He further said that individuals trapped in such fabricated cases are being routinely denied bail not only in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate and district courts, but also in the High Court, where only a handful of benches are reportedly granting bail.
Fear of Brain Drain and a Bleak Future
Warning of the long-term consequences, AK Azad said the deteriorating state of justice is pushing talented young people away from the country.
“If this is what justice looks like, how will the country or the economy move forward?” he asked. Drawing from his own family, he added, “Why would we ask brilliant sons and daughters to return to the country? How can I keep my own son here? If the country loses its talent, who will take it forward?”
Addressing senior lawyers present at the event, Azad said the responsibility to answer these pressing questions lies with them, as they are the ones who witness the reality of the courts on a daily basis.
His remarks have sparked renewed debate over judicial independence, police accountability, and the broader implications for governance and the country’s
