The courts are intended not only to administer law but also to protect rights.
The presumption of innocence is the fundamental right of any accused person brought before the court of justice.
Justice must not be delayed and the accused person must not be denied justice by presuming him or her guilty before any trial.
This is why bail should never be denied if cases before courts are unduly prolonged.
The judge has deemed it wise and proper to recuse from the cases related to the April 14 and 16 incidents. The cases are now stranded, yet the accused persons are still remanded in custody. How could such a contradiction be justified?
It is our conviction that if justice is to be done, no accused person should be in detention while the seat of judge is vacant.
We therefore hope that this matter would be focused on and that steps would be taken to ensure that cases relating to the April 14 and 16 incidents are not unduly prolonged while the accused persons languish in detention.
The court of justice should not allow this to happen.
