New Delhi, Dec. 5 -- The Supreme Court on Friday, December 5, granted bail to a man who had been arrested in Assam under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for more than 2 years without a chargesheet.

The Gauhati High Court had denied him bail, citing that he was a foreign national as per the Assam police's claims.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the case, observing that the continued detention past the 180-day limit, including the Court's express order, cannot be considered lawful.

Under the UAPA Act, Section 43D provides that upon default bail, the investigation must end and a chargesheet be filed within 90 days. If that's not possible, a court can, based on a report from the Pub...