Bail to 3 alleged PFI members; 14 more held in riots cases
NEWDELHI: A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to three alleged members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), including its Delhi president and state secretary, arrested for their suspected involvement in anti-caa protests and the communal riots in north-east Delhi.
Metropolitan magistrate Prabh Deep Kaur granted bail to Mohammad Danish, Parvez Alam, PFI Delhi president, and its state secretary Mohammad Ilyas, and asked the investigating officer (IO) to explain by March 17 as to why they were not granted bail, despite the alleged offences being bailable. “It is a settled principle that in bailable offences, it is the duty of the IO to offer bail to the accused persons at the first instance.
“There is no explanation by the IO as to why he had not offered bail to the accused persons at the first instance as per the constitutional as well as procedural mandate and therefore, let a written explanation be called from the IO concerned with respect to his failure to offer bail to the accused persons in bailable offences as per the constitutional and procedural mandate returnable on March 17,” the court said. It granted bail to the accused on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 30,000 each. Alam and Ilyas were sent to a seven-day police remand last Thursday, whereas Danish was sent to a four-day police custody on Monday for interrogation in connection with last month’s communal violence.
Alam and Ilyas were arrested by the Special Cell last Thursday. The bail order came after the police sought further custodial interrogation of the accused.
ANOTHER 14 HELD
Meanwhile, 14 more people have been arrested in connection with the communal riots in north-east Delhi in which 53 people were killed and more than 400 people were injured last month.
With the latest action, the total number of people arrested in 712 cases registered directly in connection to the riots till Thursday climbed to 229 on Friday.
An officer privy to probe said on the 14 arrested were suspected to be involved in five cases, including two murder cases, which are being probed by the SITS set up to probe riots cases.