Delhi riots: Court dismisses interim bail plea of man in Head Constable’s death case

New Delhi, September 24

A Delhi court on Thursday dismissed a plea of a man, arrested in a case related to the death of Head Constable Ratan Lal during the February riots in north east Delhi, seeking interim bail for 11 days to perform post-death ceremonies of his father.

Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav rejected the application of Mohd Ayyub seeking interim bail from September 30 to October 10 and said he has already availed the benefit of interim bail twice in the matter.

During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, appearing for the police, opposed the bail application, saying that the misuse of the interim bail granted to accused persons in the riots cases on “humanitarian grounds” was quite prevalent.

The public prosecutor said the accused seek interim bails on “humanitarian grounds” for a very short period and before its expiry, they file an application seeking its extension on the ground that the Delhi High Court has extended all the interim bails during COVID-19 pandemic till October 31.

“In case, this court dismisses such applications, then they do not hesitate to approach the Delhi High Court and several orders have been received in such cases from the Delhi High Court, whereby interim bails have been extended treating these bails to the ‘COVID bails’,” the public prosecutor said.

The court said the offences against Ayyub were quite serious in nature.

“It is further a matter of record that the applicant (Ayyub) has already availed the benefit of interim bail twice in the matter and his other three brothers can very well perform the remaining post-death ceremonies of his deceased father,” it said in its order.

Prasad submitted that the state has already approached the High Court by way of a petition, seeking clarification on whether riots cases came under the purview of the High Court’s order on extension of interim bails till October 31.

He informed the court that the matter was pending.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. PTI