In a script straight out of a dark Kafka story, a man acquitted of a double murder spent ten years locked up in jailu2014five years as an undertrial and another five after his acquittal as he could not come up with the bail for his release, as reported in the TImes of India.

"This is a sin,'' exclaimed a division bench comprising Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice A R Joshi on Tuesday on the plight of Madankumar Mandal who was produced in court. The judges ordered that Mandal, who appears to be in his 30s, be released immediately on a personal bond.

The court also expressed the need for framing guidelines in cases dealing with the arrest of an accused who has been acquitted on an appeal by the state (Section 390 of the Criminal Procedure Code).