SC gives Allahabad High Court 15 days to decide on plea for release of Dr Kafeel Khan

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Allahabad High Court to decide on habeas corpus plea for release of Dr. Kafeel Khan, within a period of 15 days.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said, "Personal liberty was something that we have prioritised at all times, even during hard times."

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Kafeel's mother Nuzhat Perween, contended the stringent National Security Act was imposed on him after he was granted bail by Aligarh court on February 10 in connection with his inflammatory speech during the anti-CAA-NPR-NRC protest.

She submitted that the plea challenging the detention was not coming up for consideration before the High Court.

"We request the High Court to dispose of the matter peremptorily as early as possible, having regard to the fact that it involves the liberty of the applicant, within a period of fifteen days from the date the parties appear before it," the bench said.

Dr. Khan presently lodged at Mathura jail, was a lecturer at the Department of Paediatrics at B R D Medical College in Gorakhpur, where over 60 children had died due to Japanese encephalitis and many for want of oxygen whose supply was disrupted after bills were not paid to the vendor. He was then arrested for his alleged negligent role and suspended from the hospital.