Delhi riots: Release of student activists further deferred

Student activists Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha will remain in jail despite being granted bail by the high court in New Delhi in the North East Delhi riots 'conspiracy' case as a lower court on Wednesday deferred its order on a plea for immediate release.

"Order could not be passed due to the heavy board of bail applications listed before the undersigned. Be put up for orders tomorrow at 11 am," Additional Sessions Judge Revinder Bedi stated, after Jawaharlal Nehru University students Kalita and Narwal moved the trial court in New Delhi seeking immediate release from prison.

During the course of proceedings, the Delhi police sought more time from the court to verify their addresses, sureties and authenticity of the Aadhaar cards before releasing them on bail and said that three days would be required to complete the verification process.

Advocate Adit Pujari, representing the accused, objected to it and alleged that the police was intentionally delaying their release despite the order of the high court.

"You are keeping them in illegal custody. I have been granted bail and 24 hours have passed since then," he said.

The high court on Tuesday granted bail to Narwal, Kalita and Jamia Millia Islamia student Tanha, who were arrested in May last year, and directed them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each along with two sureties of the like amount.

The Delhi Police has moved the Supreme Court challenging the high court judgment granting them bail in the case.

The three student activists were accused of being the 'masterminds' of the February 2020 violence, which had left 53 people dead and hundreds injured.

They were arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

After securing bail in the case, Kalita and Narwal moved the trial court seeking their immediate release from jail.