Delhi court grants bail to Iqbal Singh accused in R-Day violence case

Iqbal Singh, accused in Republic Day violence case, was granted bail by a court in Delhi. Special Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen granted the bail and asked him to furnish a personal bond with one local surety.

New Delhi: A court in Delhi has granted bail to accused Iqbal Singh in a case related to the violence on Republic Day during the farmers' tractor rally against the Centre's three new farm laws.

Special Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen granted bail to Iqbal Singh asking him to furnish a personal bond with one local surety.

The Court directed him to mention the mobile phone number to be used by him and shall ensure that the same number is kept on switched on mode at all times with location activated and shared with the Investigating Officer (IO) throughout and shall telephonically confirm his location with the IO on the first and fifteenth day of each calendar month.

It also imposed various conditions that he shall not travel outside the country without prior permission and join investigation when called. It asked him to scrupulously appear on each and every date of hearing before the trial court and shall not delay or interfere with the trial in any manner and also he shall not threaten, influence intimidate witnesses nor tamper with evidence in any manner whatsoever.

"The accused and the surety shall not change the verified address and respective mobile phone numbers without prior intimation to the IO," the Court said.

Iqbal Singh was represented by advocates Jaspreet S Rai and Jasdeep Dhillon. Delhi Police had registered a case on January 27 at Kotwali on the statement of SHO of the station, in respect of the violence and rioting at Red Fort on January 26 by an unruly mob of protestors agitating against the three Agriculture Acts/ Farm Bills promulgated by the Parliament in the month of September 2020.

The Police alleged that Iqbal Singh was a member of this unruly mob, and have instigated, incited and provoked the mob by raising religious slogans and other words and deeds into disregarding the official route for the protest rally, breaking the barricades, breaking open the main gate of Red Fort and to climb onto the rampart and to hoist the religious flag.

While the accused himself was carrying the Nishan Sahib in his hands, and he was present inside the well of the Fort and on the rampart while the co-accused had hoisted the religious flag, all this while capturing the occurrence live on Facebook, as part of the criminal conspiracy to reach the Red Fort on the Republic Day and to hoist the religious flag at it in order to cause embarrassment to the nation and to convert Red Fort into a new protest site for the agitation against the Farm Laws.

In furtherance of this criminal conspiracy, the accused-applicant prior to the date of incident had visited the Red Fort in order to survey the area and to examine and explore ways and means for hoisting of the flag at the Red Fort, a prohibited area and protected site.

The accused also threatened the security personnel at the Red Fort main gate to let the riotous mob in, and then roused the mob into breaking the main gate with use of force if need be, Police has said.

(ANI)