Premium

Turkman Gate violence: Delhi court reserves order on bail pleas of 5 accused

Defence counsel says accused arrested merely to set a deterrent example

Faiz Elahi mosque, Faiz Elahi mosque encroachments, MCD, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), delhi high court, delhi news, India news, Indian express, current affairs“It was not a simple case of assault but an attack on the system,” the prosecution said.

A city court on Tuesday reserved its order on bail pleas of five persons, accused of being involved in the violence near Faiz-e-Elahi mosque near Turkman Gate in Central Delhi during a demolition drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) last week. The order is likely to be pronounced on Wednesday.

Nadeem Khan, the counsel of one of the accused, Adnan, argued that the five accused had been arrested “merely to set a deterrent example”, also submitting that the police officers knew the accused even before the incident.

“Due to the breach of public order, the act of one person doesn’t mean the liability needs to be fastened onto everyone,” he said, adding that his client was not visible in the CCTV footage.

The defence counsel also claimed that the arrests were made even before the FIR was registered.

Opposing the bail pleas of the accused, the Delhi Police, represented by Additional Public Prosecutors Atul Kumar Shrivastava and Dr Tushar Kadyan, argued that the accused were aware of the Delhi High Court order directing the MCD to act against the encroachments in the area.

“It was not a simple case of assault but an attack on the system,” the prosecution submitted, adding that the accused persons had pelted stones at police personnel and endangered their lives. They also said that the accused had “instigating messages and videos” on their phones, allegedly spreading rumours about the demolition.

The civic body started to raze encroachments next to the mosque last week, hours after the Delhi High Court declined a plea for an interim stay on such action.

Story continues below this ad

Violence erupted soon as 30-35 people gathered in the area, raised slogans and threw stones. Five policemen were injured in the incident. A total of 18 arrests have been made in the case so far.

The bulldozers targeted structures, including a baaraat ghar and a dispensary lying outside a 0.195-acre patch of land on which the mosque and a dargah stand. Both the mosque and the dargah remained untouched during the demolitions.

 

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.  2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
Loading Taboola...
Advertisement