New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted bail to a 75-year-old man, who was convicted in a 1983 rape and murder case, while taking note that it took the trial 40 years to conclude.

Noting the “peculiar feature” of the case, the apex court asked the Calcutta High Court to give “out of turn priority” to the disposal of the man’s appeal against his conviction.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal said, normally, the top court should not issue a direction to a constitutional court or any other court to fix a schedule to decide a case.

Press Trust of India