Shedding a Light on the Rights of the Accused: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

In this article, the author has endeavored to shed a light on the numerous provisions and rights conferred to a person accused of a crime. These rights encompass all the rights that an accused enjoys throughout his trial, from the very moments of his arrest to the period of a legal trial, and to the period of incarceration as an undertrial prisoner, ending just before the outcome of the trial. The article is an attempt to trace and analyze the practice of submitting evidence and documents by way of a sealed cover. The paper also puts forth the effects that the said practice has had on the rights of the accused and also sheds light on the effect of the said practice on the public faith in the judicial system, through the lens of decided cases both recent and old.