HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Monday granted conditional bail to 16 persons who were accused in the Agnipath rioting cases. Each of them have been asked to execute Rs.20,000 personal bond and provide two sureties for the satisfaction of the competent magistrate. All the accused people must appear before the concerned police station once a week for six weeks.
Those granted bail were: Katravath Sunil Kumar, Chigurla Rahul, Raja Surender Kumar Suri, Delavath Praveen, Jappula Shiva Kumar, Katke Vishnu, Anil Kumar, Ch. Bhoomesh, Namdev, G Kanakappa, Bomarasipeta Mahender, Ade Balaji, M. Ranjith, Pasuniru Shiva Sunder Reddy, Suranar Tukkaram and Rachakonda Raju.
The petitioners were applicants for Army jobs, and according to the petitioner’s attorney Tera Rajanikanth Reddy, neither they nor any of the other petitioners had any criminal record. Knowing about the recruitment rally the petitioners travelled to a location close to Secunderabad, but they did not take part in the rally and also in the arson. The attorney further informed the court that, despite no specific allegations of wrongdoing against the petitioners, the prosecution claimed that over 2,000 members staged a dharna outside the railway station in protest of the Agnipath Scheme.
The police said they detained the students in connection with the aforementioned crime which was not true and that it cannot be suggested they would sway the witnesses or tamper with the evidence. The counsel went on to say that because of the petitioners’ unlawful detention, their families, who all come from working-class farming homes, are going through mental anguish.
No specific allegations: Attorney
The attorney informed the court that, despite no specific allegations of wrongdoing against the petitioners, the prosecution claimed that over 2,000 members staged a dharna outside the railway station in protest of the Agnipath Scheme