SC refuses bail to Christian Michel

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of Christian Michel James, who sought bail on the grounds that he had completed half of the maximum sentence that could be awarded in the cases for which he has been arrested. He has been in jail for over four years.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said that his argument cannot be accepted as Section 436A of the Criminal Procedure Code, which provides for release when half the sentence is served, was 'not applicable in the case'.

It, however, said that James may apply for regular bail before a trial court. The UK citizen was extradited from Dubai and is the alleged middleman in the ₹3,600 crore VVIP chopper case, the trial for which has not begun more than eight years after a probe was ordered.