8 sent to judicial custody in India Gate protest case

A Delhi court on Saturday remanded eight accused in the India Gate anti-pollution protest case to two-day judicial custody after police produced them before the judge’s residence and sought seven-day police custody.

The court directed that the accused be produced again on Monday.

During the hearing, Delhi Police strongly opposed bail for six of the accused, stating that new video material had emerged allegedly linking the students to a Naxalite-affiliated organisation.

Appearing before Judicial Magistrate First Class Aridaman Singh Cheema at Patiala House Courts, DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Mahla said, “There is video evidence on record showing that some of the accused attended a conference of the Radical Students Union (RSU) held in Hyderabad on February 21 and 22.”

He added that several more videos were being retrieved from social media, purportedly showing the students’ support for the Naxalite movement.

Opposing bail, the police argued that they required custody to confront the accused with the newly recovered evidence. “We will need their police custody to confront them with the new evidence. If released on bail, they may influence witnesses,” DCP Mahla told the court.