In a brief yet significant order, the Supreme Court on Monday suspended the sentence of Madhya Pradesh resident Jai Kumar Choudhary, noting that his pending criminal appeal before the High Court was unlikely to be decided anytime soon. The bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria ordered his release on bail after taking note of the time he has already spent behind bars.
Background
Choudhary was earlier sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by the trial court on 24 June 2025. He later challenged the conviction before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, but the appeal has remained pending with no hearing on merits in sight. The Supreme Court noted that the delay was not a small procedural gap but a real obstacle to the appellant’s liberty.
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During the hearing, counsel for Choudhary - advocates Ajay Kumar Singh Yadav and Sandeep Malik - pointed out that their client had already undergone seven-and-a-half months of imprisonment, which is nearly one-sixth of the total sentence. This detail appears to have weighed heavily on the bench.
Court’s Observations
The bench stated that after hearing both sides and examining the record, it noticed two issues: the bleak chances of the High Court taking up the appeal anytime soon, and the substantial jail time already served by the appellant.
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In the order, the bench observed, “We notice that appeal filed against the judgment of the trial court… is pending before the jurisdictional High Court and chances of the appeal being heard on merits and disposed of in the near future is bleak.” The judges added that given the incarceration already undergone, the sentence deserved to be suspended.
A courtroom observer would say the bench seemed practical rather than technical. There was no lengthy debate; the matter was resolved in just a few minutes once the judges confirmed the delay in the High Court proceedings. As one lawyer whispered outside the courtroom corridor, “Yeh toh fair hi lagta hai; aadmi ne kaafi time jail mein kaat liya.”
The Court also clarified that it was not examining the merits of the conviction but only deciding whether continued imprisonment was justified while the appeal remained unheard.
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Decision
Acting on these findings, the Supreme Court suspended the sentence and directed that Jai Kumar Choudhary be released on bail, subject to the terms and conditions that the jurisdictional court may impose.
The order concludes succinctly: “Accordingly, it is suspended and the appellant is ordered to be released on bail… Appeal is allowed.” Pending applications were also disposed of. The decision was pronounced on 24 November 2025 in Court No. 15.
Case Title: Jai Kumar Choudhary vs. State of Madhya Pradesh (2025)
Case Type: Criminal Appeal (from SLP (Crl.) No. 17259/2025)
Trial Court Judgment: 24-06-2025
Order Date: 24 November 2025