Man gets bail, asked to maintain peace in area

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to an accused in a murder case related to the north-east Delhi riots and, as a condition, directed him to maintain peace and harmony in the locality.

Additional sessions judge Vinod Yadav allowed the bail plea of Irshad, accused of killing 24-year-old Salman during the communal riots last year.

Salman suffered a gunshot injury on February 24 during the riots in Shiv Vihar. According to the police, Irshad was present at crime scene and was seen leading a riotous mob, a claim refuted by the accused.

Granting relief to Irshad, the judge noted that the prosecution prima facie failed to establish that his role was not similar to that of co-accused Mohd Furkan who was granted bail on June 15, 2021.

The judge granted bail on a personal bond of ₹10,000 and surety of like amount. The court also directed Irshad not to tamper with the evidence or influence any witness, maintain peace and harmony in the locality and appear before it to attend proceedings.

Prior to this, two bail applications of Irshad were dismissed on November 19, 2020, and April 8, 2021.

Irshad, who is also facing charges of conspiracy and rioting besides murder, was in judicial custody since April 2 last year.

Special public prosecutor Manoj Chaudhary, representing police, told the court that Salman was attacked by a riotous mob solely on the premise that “he happened to be from a different community”.