Jantar Mantar sloganeering case: Court denies bail to main organiser

A Delhi court on Friday dismissed the bail petition of Preet Singh, one of the main organisers arrested in connection with inflammatory sloganeering near Jantar Mantar.

Patiala House Court's Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil on Friday dismissed the petition of Singh, stating that "taking note of the nature of accusations and severity of the offences alleged and given that the investigation is still at nascent stage."

"....number of accused persons are absconding and evading the process of law, the entire incriminating material is yet to be recovered, in the backdrop of the fact that the applicant was an active main organiser of the event, an influential personality and there is the possibility of him interfering in the investigation and/or influencing the witnesses of the case. Thus, in my view, it is a premature stage to enlarge the applicant/accused Preet Singh on bail at this juncture", the Court said.

"It is pertinent to state that right to assemble and freedom to air one's thoughts are cherished under the Constitution of India, however, these are not absolute, they are to be exercised with inherent reasonable restrictions," the Court noted.

Prima facie on the basis of the material placed on record and the submissions put forth by the prosecution, it is observed that there has been active participation by the applicant in his individual capacity and also as the main organiser of the event itself which was conducted at Jantar Mantar in spite of the denial of permission by the Delhi Police and total disregard to Covid-19 protocol issued by the Govt. of India, the Court said.

Earlier, Metropolitan Magistrate Udbhav Kumar Jain dismissed the bail plea of Preet Singh in the matter.

Delhi Police has opposed the plea saying that the release of the accused will be prejudicial in maintaining public tranquillity and will further create serious law and order situations and there are chances that the accused will create communal disharmony.

On August 9, a First Information Report had been filed against an unknown group of people in connection with the alleged "raising inciting slogans" at Jantar Mantar. It was alleged by Police that Ashwini Upadhyay had called on a march "Colonial Laws and Make Uniform Laws" on Sunday where the alleged "objectionable slogans" were raised.

(ANI)