Bail in terror case disturbing

The reports of Davinder Singh, an accused in the case related to aiding terrorists affiliated to Pakistan-backed outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir, being granted bail by a Delhi court in another terror-related case booked by the special cell of the Delhi police have every reason to unnerve those who believe in the rule of law in our country. Singh, a suspended deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir police, and another accused, got the relief in the case related to the planning and execution of terror attacks in Delhi and other parts of the country as the agency failed to file the chargesheet within the stipulated 90 days of their arrest.

While every citizen has a right to fair trial — and bail is the rule and jail is the exception — it is inexplicable that the Delhi police has shown an irredeemable lapse in attaching to the case the importance it demands, given its background. The Delhi police and the Union ministry under which it functions must introspect into how such technical issues benefit the people accused of serious crimes.

It may be recalled that the same Delhi police and its arms were prompt in rounding up people who had protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, and sending them to jail; nothing stopped the agency from thinking that they were exercising their fundamental right to protest. It ensured that Safoora Zargar, a pregnant student, was arrested and sent to jail. It must disturb all right thinking people that the court, which decided not to enlarge her on bail, had suggested that she was paying the price for aligning with the cause though she was not directly related to the violence which erupted as part of it. It will be dangerous for the future of democracy if law enforcement agencies are seen to be demonstrating double standards in the administration of criminal justice.