The Supreme Court has directed the immediate release of a man named Saddam, who remained in jail despite being granted bail by the Court nearly one and a half months earlier. The Court also asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to show cause why compensation should not be awarded for his continued detention.

A Bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manmohan passed the order on November 3, 2026, in a miscellaneous application concerning Saddam’s criminal appeal.

Background

• Saddam was arrested in connection with FIR No. 0563/2025 registered at Baghpat Police Station, Uttar Pradesh.
• He faced trial under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
• The allegations concerned cyber fraud and threats allegedly causing mental distress to a person who later died by suicide.
• On September 28, 2026, the Supreme Court granted Saddam regular bail, noting that he had been in custody since September 21, 2025, and that the alleged financial transactions were traced to third-party accounts.
• Despite the bail order, Saddam remained in custody because he had not furnished bail bonds before the concerned court.

Supreme Court’s Observations

The Court described the matter as “very unusual” and expressed serious concern that Saddam had not been released despite the earlier bail order.

It observed that no lawyer appeared willing to represent him before the concerned court, for reasons that appeared prima facie obvious.

Directions

• The Jail Superintendent was directed to release Saddam immediately upon obtaining a personal bond of ₹10,000.
• The State was asked to show cause why compensation should not be awarded for his continued detention despite the bail order.
• The Registry was directed to forward a copy of the order to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
• The matter has been listed for December 3, 2026.

Case Details

Representation:-

For the Petitioner(s): Mr. Praveen Kumar Jha, Advocate-on-Record, Mr. Ashok Kumar Jha, Advocate, Dr. Ranjeet Bharti, Advocate.