The Supreme Court on Monday refused to cancel the bail granted to a murder accused who, after his release, posted a social media video stating that “money and power can get you anything in this country.”
A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Sandeep Mehta dismissed an appeal filed by the complainant, Rajbala, challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order granting bail to accused Vishal.
During the hearing, the Bench remarked that the accused’s post could be viewed as a celebration of his release and did not, by itself, establish that he had used money or influence to secure his liberty.
Dismissing the argument that the accused’s social media post reflected illicit clout, the Supreme Court orally remarked that the individual was merely celebrating his release, noting that if he truly had money and power, he would not have spent years in pre-trial detention.
The case arose from an October 2022 land dispute in Berla village, Haryana, concerning the installation of a tin shed.
According to the prosecution, Vishal allegedly struck a woman with a stick and hit Gajanand on the head, resulting in his death. He was arrested on October 28, 2022.
His bail plea was rejected by the Additional Sessions Judge in February 2024, while four successive bail applications before the High Court were also dismissed.
However, on April 23, 2026, Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj of the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him regular bail on his fifth plea.
The High Court noted discrepancies between the prosecution allegations and the postmortem report, observing that no incised wounds were found on the deceased and that the weapon recovered was a stick rather than an axe.
It also noted that the material eyewitnesses had been examined and that Vishal had spent more than three years and five months in custody, while only eight of the 31 prosecution witnesses had been examined. The High Court held that the prolonged trial raised concerns under the constitutional guarantee of speedy trial under Article 21.
Challenging the bail, Rajbala relied on the accused’s social media video, arguing that his remarks demonstrated undue influence of money and power.
The Supreme Court, however, declined to interfere with the High Court’s bail order and dismissed the challenge.
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