Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad gets bail, ordered to leave Delhi for 4 weeks

In a big relief to the Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, Delhi's Tiz Hazari Court has granted him bail on Wednesday. However, the Court has ordered him to leave Delhi for 4 weeks. Delivering the verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau has said that she does not want any interference with the upcoming Delhi elections. Azad was arrested 25 days ago during a protest against the amended citizenship act outside Jama Masjid. 

While hearing the bail plea, earlier on Tuesday, the judge pulled up Delhi and Uttar Pradesh cops, and asked them the reason for not granting permission to protest at religious places. Azad's outfit had called for a protest march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar against the amended Citizenship Act on 20 December, without police permission. Other 15 people arrested in the case were granted bail by the court on 9 January.

The judge had said, "It is one's constitutional right to protest. People can carry out peaceful protests anywhere. Jama Masjid is not in Pakistan where we are not allowed to protest. And peaceful protests take place in Pakistan as well."

READ: 'This isn't Pak': Delhi court pulls up cops for denying permission for Jama Masjid protest

Daryaganj violence and anti CAA protest

On December 20, Azad's outfit had called for a protest against CAA in front of Jama Masjid. Though Azad was denied permission to protest, he was spotted holding up a copy of the Constitution with a photo of BR Ambedkar on it. He was immediately detained by the police, but escaped from their custody and returned to the protest venue. Later that night, Azad surrendered.

As the protest began, protesters started marching from the mosque to Jantar Mantar in central Delhi. However, they were stopped at Delhi Gate when the protest took a violent turn and the crowd refused to back down. A car allegedly set on fire outside Daryaganj police station. Policemen then used water cannons and to disperse the crowd, as per reports.

READ: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh demands release of Bhim Army's Chandrashekar Azad

What was Azad's bail plea?

In his plea, the Bhim Army leader has claimed that police invoked "boilerplate" charges against him and arrested him "mechanically" without following the due process of law. Azad, currently in judicial custody, claimed he has been falsely implicated as the allegations levelled against him in the FIR were not only "ill-founded", also "improbable". The bail plea, filed through advocate Mehmood Pracha, alleged that no specific incriminating role has been attributed to Azad in the FIR, of which the contents were "vague" and based on "conjectures and surmises". It said he was at all times demonstrably making efforts to maintain peace.

READ: Bhim Army chief taken to AIIMS for follow-up treatment

The bail plea claimed that charging him with being a part of an unlawful assembly was "erroneous", as at no point of time during the alleged incident did the police authorities declare the peaceful protestors to be an unlawful assembly. "No motive has been attributed to the accused in the present FIR, and all charges have been added mechanically... Charging the accused with being a part of an unlawful assembly is erroneous, as at no point of time during the alleged incident did the police authorities declare, announce, or proclaim the peaceful protestors to be an unlawful assembly, and nor were any warnings issued or announced in this regard.

READ: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh demands release of Bhim Army's Chandrashekar Azad