‘Demanding higher wages not an offence’: Court slams police for ‘illegal custody’ of Manesar union leader
Ajit Singh was accused of inciting factory workers who protested in Manesar on April 9. Days later, there were similar protests in Noida. Police of both states cracked down on the protesters.
The management had alleged that a mob of 200-250 protesting workers had pelted managerial staff and police with stones, and set company and government vehicles on fire. (Express Photo) A Gurgaon court on Monday (May 18) granted bail to a union leader who was arrested in connection with the April 9 labour unrest in Manesar saying he had been kept for a month in “illegal custody” when there was “nothing incriminating” against him.
The protesting workers were demanding higher wages. Days later, a protest by factory workers making similar demands in Noida escalated into violence and vandalism, leading to a wave of arrests by the UP Police.
Gurgaon Additional Sessions Judge Dr Gagan Geet Kaur passed the order in the bail plea filed by Ajit Singh, the general secretary of the employees’ union at Belsonica, an auto parts company in Manesar.
“The applicant-accused, who is stated to be member of workers’ union, has raised issue of less salary in a democratic way and nothing incriminating has been shown against him,” the judge said.
A mob of 200-250 protesting workers had pelted managerial staff and police with stones, and set company and government vehicles on fire.
“Making demand to raise their wages/ salary by workers/ employees to the Government is not an offence,” said the court.
The prosecution had based its case on the gravity of the alleged offences committed during the protest at Richa Global Exports Pvt Ltd at the Industrial Model Township (IMT) in Manesar, including attempt to murder, rioting, and obstruction.
The management had alleged that a mob of 200-250 protesting workers had pelted managerial staff and police with stones, and set company and government vehicles on fire.
The public prosecutor conceded that Singh was not present at the spot on the day of the violence. However, police alleged that he had hatched a conspiracy and incited workers before the incident through messages posted in a WhatsApp group and a public speech.
However, the electronic evidence presented by police failed to pass muster in court. When the investigating officer played a video of Singh’s speech in court, the judge found it had “nothing incriminating except an address in the form of appeal to problems facing by workers due to less wages in compare to rising prices of daily needs”.
After the prosecution conceded that a subsequent transcription of a speech from April 4 also contained nothing incriminating, the judge ruled that keeping Singh in jail since April 13 without any prima facie evidence amounted to illegal custody.
“No evidence has been shown to arrest him and he is in custody since 13.04.2026. This amounts to illegal custody of applicant-accused without any evidence… Prima facie, no incriminating evidence has been shown against applicant-accused till date,” the court stated.
Counsel for accused Vrinda Grover argued that Singh, whose services have since been terminated by his employer, was picked up from his Gurgaon home in the intervening night of April 12-13, but police had failed to provide him with the grounds of arrest.
The bail order was welcomed by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), a workers’ union affiliated with the CPI(M). In a press statement, CITU Haryana hailed the court’s order as a “victory for justice” and accused the Manesar Police of floating a “conspiracy theory” solely to serve the interests of capitalist owners.
According to the union’s statement, during the proceedings on Monday, the judge had orally remarked that “If saying ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ is treated as a crime, then the system should be ashamed.” Advocate Grover confirmed this, even though this statement is not included in the order of the court.
CITU Haryana general secretary Jai Bhagwan demanded that all workers who had been arrested on the basis of the two FIRs registered in connection with the Manesar protest should be released without conditions. He called for strict action against the police officers responsible for the alleged “false cases”.
Share
