HC grants conditional bail for Bengaluru rioters

The Karnataka High Court has granted conditional bail to 115 accused in riots in the city's DJ Halli and KG Halli, as the investigation period of the accused had been extended without notice by the trial court.

Bengaluru:The Karnataka High Court has granted conditional bail to 115 accused in riots in the city's DJ Halli and KG Halli areas, as the investigation period of the accused had been extended without notice by the trial court. Around 115 accused, including Mujamil, have filed a petition in the High Court seeking default bail saying, "The trial court gave the National Investigation Agency (NIA) an additional 90 days to complete its investigation without informing us. It's illegal. Similarly, the NIA has not submitted its final report of the investigation within 90 days."

The High Court granted bail saying that the accused should be informed and notice should be issued and that it is illegal for the NIA special court to extend the investigation period without informing the accused. The applicant must furnish a personal bond of Rs. 2 lakh each and a security guarantee of the same amount, and make themselves available whenever called by the trial court and investigators, the High Court added.

Read:NIA submits 7,000-page charge sheet in Bengaluru riot case

On August 11, 2020, riots had broken out in DJ Halli and KG Halli areas of Bengaluru following a Facebook post by Naveen, nephew of Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, a Congress MLA. Huge mobs gathered in a short while and attacked the MLA’s house and also the police station. The National Investigation Agency, which is probing the DJ Halli riot case, has submitted a 7000-page charge sheet to Court.

The 7,000-page charge sheet has been filed against 247 persons under various sections of the UAPA and IPC. As many as 47 people named in the chargesheet are allegedly linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). Feroz Pasha, Mohammad Sharif, and Mujamil Pasha are the main accused in the case.

Read:NIA arrests 17 accused in Bengaluru riots case