DEHRADUN: A district and sessions court in Chamoli on Saturday granted bail to four Nihang Sikhs arrested in connection with the violent clash in Karnaprayag on June 16, officials said.
District and sessions judge Bindhyachal Singh accepted the bail applications of Satvinder Singh, Ajay Singh, Jasanpreet Singh, and Manpreet Singh and ordered their release on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each, along with two sureties of the same amount, according to officials.
The four accused face charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act, registered under FIR number 0017/2026 at the Karnaprayag police station.
On June 16, a minor dispute between local residents and Nihang Sikhs in Karnaprayag escalated into an alleged sword attack, leaving a few people injured.
A Nihang Sikh was also injured in the incident. Later, police had registered a case and arrested the four Nihang Sikhs.
During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that the accused were falsely implicated.
The counsel stated that the group was on a religious pilgrimage when many local residents assaulted them, seriously injuring one of the accused, Manpreet Singh.
The prosecution opposed the bail plea, arguing that the allegations were serious and that the release of the accused could lead to tampering with evidence.
The prosecution said an argument escalated following a road accident and police subsequently modified the charges during the ongoing investigation.
After hearing both sides, the court observed that the incident appeared to have been triggered by a sudden dispute on the road rather than prior enmity.
The court also noted that the sections invoked against the accused attract a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment.
Without making any final observation on the merits of the case, the court found sufficient grounds to grant bail to the four accused.
The court directed that the four men be released after submitting the required sureties and ordered an immediate copy of the directive to be sent to the Chamoli District Jail.
The Nihangs' arrest had earlier led to a standoff at the Nagrasu gurdwara in the Rudraprayag district.
The standoff ended on June 23 after three days, following the intervention of a Sikh delegation.
Later, on the night of June 25, a group of Nihang Sikhs forcibly entered Uttarakhand through the Kulhal border in the Dehradun district, which adjoins Himachal Pradesh, demanding the release of the arrested men.
Officials managed to persuade them to return to Paonta Sahib.
However, officials clarified that the accused's release depends entirely on court orders.
All necessary legal formalities will be completed only after the court grants them bail, after which they will be allowed to leave Uttarakhand.