New Delhi: If one goes by legal precedents, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is set to spend considerable time behind bars.
His lawyers are expected to move the High Court in appeal shortly and they will also press for suspension of Singh's sentence to enable him to come out on bail.
But there are not going to be many arguments supporting why Singh should be let out immediately.
A body of Supreme Court judgments have clarified that bail is indeed a matter of discretion but this discretion cannot be exercised arbitrarily or in a manner that may shake public faith in the justice delivery system.
Further, the apex court has advocated for adopting tough standards when the bail applicant is convicted of crimes against women and children.
Singh has not spent any time in jail as an undertrial. He was taken into custody only after his conviction.
Therefore, his lawyers will have to give up the argument on releasing him on bail since he has ready suffered half or even one-third of the jail term - another criterion that the SC has said could be one of the factors to be kept in mind while examining a convict's bail plea.
Singh's case is further weakened by the fact that the appeal will go to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which made sure that Singh's trial is taken to a logical end and is free and fair.
When his appeal will come up in the High Court, the grim images of violence post his conviction and the extraordinary circumstances requiring the trial judge to hold his court inside Rohtak jail will be difficult to overlook.
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