Rohtak court grants bail to Prof Virender in ‘sedition’ case

[related-post]

The accused was in police custody till March 27 and sent to judicial custody by the Rohtak court thereafter.

The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by Captain Pawan Anchal (retd.), a Bhiwani resident, on the basis of a 90-second audio clip of a purported conversation between Prof. Virender and Capt. Maan Singh Dalal (retd.), spokesperson of the Dalal Khap 84, allegedly inciting violence during recent Jat agitation in Haryana.

The Haryana police Wednesday opposed bail to Prof. Virender on the grounds that there were serious allegations against him and he may interfere in the probe after being released from the jail.

However, Prof Virender’s counsel JK Gakhar said: “We informed the court that till date the police have questioned 82 people in the case but found no incriminating evidence against Prof. Virender. It has come to the fore that he was having a general conversation over the phone with the people.”

Gakhar informed that the court has been assured that Prof. Virender would join the investigation as and when he is summoned by the police.

Earlier, when Prof. Virender had moved the anticipatory bail plea, the district and sessions judge denied the same and asked him to join the investigation. However, the judge had then observed: “I do agree that from the conversation between the accused-applicant (Prof Virender) and Captain Maan Singh, the offence of sedition is prima facie not made out as from said conversation, it cannot be concluded that the agitation had gone violent on the instigation of the accused -applicant.

There may be other reasons for the same.”