North-East Delhi Violence: Court grants bail to accused in 4 cases

New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): Delhi’s Karkardooma Court has granted bail to a person accused in four North East Delhi riots cases. These cases pertain to rioting in February 2020 in the area under Police Station Shastri Park.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala granted bail to Surendra Nath Yadav on Tuesday.

The court granted bail to the accused on the ground parity and change in the circumstances. The court directed him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 10000 and one surety bond in the like amount.

The court said that it is an admitted situation that the investigation qua the applicant is complete now and that a chargesheet has been filed qua the applicant before the court. It is also a matter of record that co-accused persons are already on bail in aforesaid cases, it added.

“Apart from the applicant, some other co-accused persons are also reportedly seen in the videos,” the court observed.

“Thus, the role attributed to the applicant is not more serious than the co-accused persons, who are already on bail. Hence, there is a change in the circumstances after the rejection of the previous bail application of the applicant, in these cases. On the ground of parity itself, I find the applicant to be entitled to bail,” ASJ Pramachala said in the order on December 5.

Advocate Anu Prakash, counsel for the accused submitted that in these cases, he had withdrawn the application before the High Court of Delhi because by that time chargesheet was filed against the applicant before the court.

He also argued that the previous application was rejected by this court in these cases because at that time investigation was still going on.

On the other hand, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Madhukar Pandey, and IO/SI Narender Singh, opposed all four applications on the

grounds that the applicant had been absconding to date and that his appearance was visible in the video of the riot.

These FIRs related to the riotous incident that took place on February 24, 2020, and February 25 in the village, old Garhi Mendu.

Several accused persons have already been charge-sheeted in all these FIRs. However, the applicant was not arrested initially. He was arrested on August 24, 2023.