In a surprising turn of events, the Supreme Court has turned down Usman Ali's request to cancel the bail given to Rinku Bhardwaj, who is accused in a well-known murder case in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh.
On January 22, 2025, the High Court of Allahabad decided to let Rinku Bhardwaj, also known as Prakash Rajbhar, go free on bail. He was accused in a serious case involving the murder of a local leader back in October 2018. The case was filed at Chopan Police Station in Sonbhadra under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and another law.
Usman Ali argued that Rinku Bhardwaj was a dangerous criminal with a lot of influence in the area. He was allegedly involved in planning the murder using automatic weapons and had hired someone named Kashmir Paswan for the job. Ali claimed that Bhardwaj was hiding until a special team from Uttar Pradesh and another team from Kolkata caught him. Ali was worried about his safety and believed the High Court ignored Bhardwaj's criminal background.
The Supreme Court had appointed Shri Abhishek Mohan Goel to help with the case. He explained that the request was not about giving bail but about taking it away. He mentioned past cases to argue that bail should only be taken away in very special situations, which he believed did not apply here.
The murder happened early morning on October 25, 2018, when the victim was out for exercise. He was shot and later declared dead at the hospital. Before he died, he named his attackers, leading to a police report against several people, including Kashmir Paswan. Bhardwaj was arrested on December 27, 2018, based on statements from witnesses and others involved in the case.
The High Court noted that 55 witnesses were supposed to be questioned, but only 13 had been heard. Bhardwaj's request for bail was similar to that of another accused, Ravi Kumar Gupta, who got bail earlier. Bhardwaj wasn't named in the police report initially but was mentioned later through witness statements.
On January 30, 2026, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, decided not to change the High Court's decision. They noted that Bhardwaj had already been in jail for over six years and had not broken any rules while on bail. The Court emphasized the need to balance personal freedom with public interest.
The appeal was dismissed, allowing Bhardwaj to remain out on bail.
