In a landmark ruling on October 15, Justice Carol Gobin of the High Court declared that Justices of the Peace (JPs) retain their authority to grant bail for indictable offences, overturning a government policy that had stripped them of this power. The decision came in response to a judicial review filed by Joel Alexander, who was detained in deplorable police cells for nearly 57 hours due to the policy. Justice Gobin ruled that Section 10 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act, 2011 (AJIPA) did not revoke JPs’ jurisdiction to grant station bail, calling the government’s interpretation of the law ‘null, void, and illegal.’ She criticized the policy for normalizing inhumane detention conditions and undermining constitutional rights to liberty and the presumption of innocence. Alexander was awarded $140,000 in damages, and the court ordered the immediate restoration of JPs’ bail powers. The ruling also emphasized the need for accountability in safeguarding citizens’ rights, echoing broader concerns about governmental overreach.
Judge strikes down law that prevented JPs from granting station bail
