India news Live Updates, 20 August 2026: Express investigation — Noida protesters jailed 53 days on average before courts granted relief in 84% of bail pleas

The Indian Express has revealed an investigation into the treatment of protesters arrested during April protests in Noida, finding that they were jailed for an average of 53 days before courts intervened and granted bail in 84% of cases involving substantive allegations. The court ruled that mere presence at a protest is not enough to deny bail and that workers could not be equated with instigators.

However, the families of the protesters faced debt and fear of re-arrest, while some bail applications were denied after the NSA was invoked, and books and articles were cited as evidence of dangerous intent.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Indian Express - India's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.