Citizenship Act protests: Delhi court dismisses Chandrashekhar Azad’s bail plea

Azad was produced before Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Arjinder Kaur amid tight security. His counsel Mehmood Pracha opposed the Delhi Police demand for 14-day judicial remand and urged the court to release him on bail “forthwith”, claiming he is in illegal custody.

Pracha, along with advocates O P Bharti and Bhanu Pratap Singh, argued that Azad only took out a march to save the “Constitution”.

Additional Public Prosecutor Arvind Kumar Shukla, appearing for Delhi Police, however, opposed the bail, saying the accused may threaten witnesses.

While the hearing was going on, the court also witnessed exchange of words between media and police, when some journalists were stopped from attending the hearing. The judge, thereafter, ordered that further proceedings be held in-camera. While Azad’s counsel opposed the same, the magistrate ordered, “At this stage, this court is of the considered view that substantial grounds for granting bail to the accused (Azad) is not made out… Accused be sent to judicial custody for 14 days.”

At least 45 people, including 13 police officers, were injured as Walled City protests that had largely remained peaceful till 5 pm turned violent on Friday evening. (File) 

Soon after, Azad was taken out of the court premises while people chanted in his support.

Meanwhile, the 15 other accused, mostly aged 20-22, were produced before Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Kaur.
Seeking their judicial custody for 14 days, police counsel urged the court that they be kept behind bars as the probe is underway.

Senior advocate Rebecca M John, appearing for most of the accused, however sought their immediate bail on the grounds that “no individual role has been assigned… in the FIR”. John further submitted that most of the arrested persons were at Delhi’s Jama Masjid for Friday prayers.

The court was also told that one of the accused arrested in the case is a 15-year-old boy, but the investigating officer countered the claim, saying the accused said he was 23 years old.

The magistrate has ordered all the accused persons to be produced before the court Monday.

Family members of an accused, Mohammed Danish (22), claimed they have not opened their shop, their only source of income, for over 24 hours. Relatives of another accused, Haider Ali, a mason, said his family will also lose their income for a few days.

Meanwhile, six students from AMU, JNU and Jamia, who were protesting against the deaths of people during anti-CAA protests in UP, were detained from in front of UP Bhavan in Chanakyapuri Saturday.