The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to 55-year-old tribal man Tonlong Konyak, condemning Assam Police for holding him in custody for two years without filing a chargesheet. The Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta called the prolonged detention under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) "wholly unjustified" and "illegal custody." The court questioned the Assam Police's failure to file the chargesheet within the legal time frame. Advocate Shubhojit Roy, representing the Assam Government, said Konyak was a Myanmar national caught with counterfeit Indian currency crossing the border. He cited Section 43D(7) of UAPA, which restricts bail for illegal foreign entrants except in special cases. Justice Mehta rejected this, stating, "Whatever be the stringent provisions under UAPA, the law does not provide for illegal custody. This is appalling." The Bench noted Konyak had already received default bail in two other connected cases delayed by non-filing of chargesheets beyond the maximum 180 days allowed under UAPA. The court stressed police cannot keep someone in custody indefinitely and must grant default bail if the investigation is incomplete. Police blamed missing co-accused for the delay. Konyak was arrested on July 23, 2023, near the Nagaland border, allegedly carrying ₹3.25 lakh in extorted money en route to Myanmar, and booked under IPC and UAPA for links with banned ULFA-Independent. Defence lawyer Shahrukh Alam argued Konyak belongs to the indigenous Konyak tribe that can move freely up to 16 km into Myanmar under the Free Movement Regime, requiring no passport or visa. The court noted the chargesheet was filed only on July 31, 2025, nearly two years after his arrest. It observed no incriminating evidence tied Konyak directly to extortion. The bench stressed his continued detention violated his fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution and Supreme Court precedents affirming the right to bail regardless of nationality. Concluding, the Supreme Court ruled that Konyak’s custody without timely chargesheet was unjustified and granted him bail, citing no trial was near. The judgment highlights the legal limits on police detention under UAPA and upholds personal liberty rights.