Delhi 2020 riots: Sadiq's fourth bail plea rejected by High Court

NEW DELHI:  Dismissing the fourth bail application of a man accused of pelting stones at cops during the 2020 riots in the national capital, the High Court held that the facts related to the case already mentioned in the previous bail rejections and the petitioner failed to demonstrate any change in circumstances.

Petitioner Sadiq’s bail plea was first dismissed on September 14, 2020 followed by rejections on September 14, 2021, and February 9, 2022.

“There is no evidence on record to connect the petitioner to the incident beyond a reasonable doubt. It is also submitted that the evidence placed on record is not admissible and therefore, the petitioner cannot be convicted on the basis of the available material. Thus no purpose would be served by keeping the petitioner behind bars,” his counsel argued.

He also pointed out that the completion of the trial would take a long time and the petitioner cannot be kept in custody for that long; out of 22 accused people, 14 people have been granted bail. On the other hand, Additional Public Prosecutor for the State submitted that it was the first incident of unprovoked mass violence involving an assault on police, where Head Constable Ratan Lal lost his life and DCP Shahdara, Amit Sharma and ACP Gokulpuri, Anuj Kumar suffered grievous injuries apart from more than 50 police personnel getting injured.

Following the arguments, Justice Poonam Bamba noted that the petitioner has been caught in three videos, wherein he can be seen pelting stones and holding sticks in his hand.