New Delhi, Aug. 13: Taking note of the detention of Assam’s Machal Lalung without trial for 54 years, the Supreme Court has decided to lay down guidelines to fix accountability and prevent recurrence of such incidents.

“As there is no legislation to deal with such issues, we would like to issue some guidelines to bridge the gap in law,’’ a bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal said while pointing out that the court had been apprised of another incident in which a man had to remain in custody for 37 years in Uttar Pradesh.

The court directed listing of the two cases together for hearing and sought assistance of all concerned in framing the guidelines.

The Supreme Court was informed that Lalung, who had been arrested in 1951 for allegedly causing grievous injury, had been awarded a compensation of Rs 3 lakh.

But the court, during the hearing of the matter earlier this week, felt that mere compensation was not enough and there was a need to frame guidelines to fix accountability for lapses.

In October last year, a lawyer had told the apex court about the detention of Lalung, a resident of Mikir Chuburi village in Morigaon district. In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, the lawyer referred to a report highlighting Lalung’s case.

Lalung, who was arrested when he was 23, was sent to hospital as he was found mentally unfit to stand trial. Thereafter, he continued to languish as an undertrial for 54 years despite being declared fit by the hospital in 1967. He was released in July last year after the National Human Rights Commission intervened.