Delhi riots: Court grants bail to man as no material against him in charge sheet

A Delhi court Friday granted bail to a man in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi in February, saying he was the sole accused chargesheeted in the matter but was not seen in any video footage or named by any person.


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 24-07-2020 19:32 IST | Created: 24-07-2020 19:32 IST
Delhi riots: Court grants bail to man as no material against him in charge sheet
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A Delhi court Friday granted bail to a man in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi in February, saying he was the sole accused chargesheeted in the matter but was not seen in any video footage or named by any person. Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav granted bail to Suhel on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 20,000 with one surety of like amount.

The court directed him to install the 'Aarogya Setu' app and ensure that his mobile phone was in working condition. It also directed him not to tamper with the evidence or influence any witness in the case and to maintain peace and harmony in the locality.

The court asked Suhel to appear before it on each and every date of hearing to attend the proceedings. "The applicant (Suhel) was the sole accused chargesheeted in the matter. He is not seen in any CCTV footage or viral video. The investigating agency has recorded statements of various persons regarding the damage caused to their vehicles and properties, but no person has named or identified the applicant," the court said in its order.

It further said that the identification by the investigating officer (IO) has little significance in the case, particularly when the incident took place on February 24 but he did not report the matter to the police station. Suhel was not even arrested at the spot, the court noted. The judge further agreed that the trial in the matter was likely to take a long time and no useful purpose would be served by keeping him in detention.

During the hearing held through video conferencing, advocate R P Singh, appearing for Suhel, told the court that the investigation in the matter was complete and his custodial interrogation was no more required. He further said that except for the identification of the applicant by the IO, there was no other evidence against Suhel in the case. Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Kishan Sharma, appearing for the state, opposed the bail plea saying that IO was present at the spot where the rioters were vandalizing the vehicles on the main Bhajanpura road and Suhel allegedly had a scuffle with him. Suhel had taken active part in rioting and chanted slogans against the other community, the public prosecutor alleged. Suhel was chargesheeted in the case for alleged offences of rioting, unlawful assembly and damaging various private and public vehicles during the riots in Bhajanpura area.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between Citizenship (Amendment) Act supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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