New Delhi:

Anticipatory bail cannot be granted on grounds of fear of death (if sent to jail) due to COVID-19, the Supreme Court said Tuesday afternoon, in response to a Uttar Pradesh government petition.

It must be based on the merits of each individual case, the top court stressed.

UP had approached the Supreme Court last week against an Allahabad High Court order that said anticipatory bail could be granted in view of the surge in Covid cases and overcrowding in jails.