Court sends two Pinjra Tod members to judicial custody for 14 days

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday sent two women associated with Pinjra Tod group, a collective of women students and alumni of colleges from across Delhi, to judicial custody for 14 days in a case related to communal violence in north-east Delhi. JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita were sent to judicial custody by Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Kumar after the police said their further custody was not required for the investigation.

They are currently lodged in Mandoli jail here. Police had earlier told the court that their custodial interrogation was required to unearth the conspiracy behind the case and identify other accused. Advocate Adit S Pujari, appearing for the women, had told the court that the women were held in the case with a “malafide” intent.

They were arrested last

Saturday in connection with a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Jaffrabad in February. On Sunday, they were granted bail by the court in the case. Moments after the judge passed the order, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police had moved an application seeking to interrogate them and formally arrested them in a separate case related to the violence.

The case in which they were arrested on Sunday was registered under Section 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder), 427, 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 188 (disobedience of public servant’s order) of IPC, relevant sections of the Arms Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.