UP: HC grants bail to man accused of beating up people for raising 'Jai Sri Ram' slogans

The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to a man who was lodged in a jail since March 11 for allegedly beating up people for raising the ''Jai Sri Ram'' slogan.

After the hearing on Monday, Justice Jayant Banarjee observed, ''Let the applicant -- Irfan, the son of Abdul Raseed -- be released on bail in the aforesaid case on his furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties each of the same amount to the satisfaction of the court below with additional conditions.'' The court said the applicant shall not commit a similar offence.

He shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the court or to a police officer or tamper with the evidence, the judge said.

According to the prosecution, the complainants were returning to their houses shouting ''Jai Sri Ram''. Near the house of Yasin, the applicant's side allegedly started abusing them. When the complainants protested, they were beaten up with a countrymade pistol and iron rods.

The applicant's counsel contended that his client is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the case.

The applicant has no criminal antecedents and is in jail since March 11, the counsel said.

An FIR was lodged against Irfan and others under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 307 (attempt to murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Simbhaoli police station in Hapur district.