# SC: legal aid to accused cannot be a mere ritual or formality 2026-08-12T21:56:12+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Supreme Court has stressed that legal aid to an accused must be a substantive exercise, not a token formality. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and SC Sharma made the observation while setting aside a Madhya Pradesh high court order that appointed an amicus curiae for a 74-year-old life convict but gave him only six days to prepare and no chance to meet the client. The convict, Nandkishore Mishra, was sentenced to life on December 20, 2022, and has been in custody since October 16, 2020. The apex court said the amicus was appointed on November 20, 2025, and the high court disposed of the appeal on November 26, 2025, without issuing notice to the accused or having the amicus meet him. It directed the high court to ensure that amici get reasonable time to prepare and adequate opportunity to meet the accused. The matter has been remanded for a fresh hearing within two months. ## Coverage - millenniumpost.in Tags: criminal justice, legal aid, Madhya Pradesh High Court, right to counsel, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sc-legal-aid-to-accused-cannot-be-a-mere-ritual-or-formality/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sc-legal-aid-to-accused-cannot-be-a-mere-ritual-or-formality/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.