Hate speech case HC grants bail to event organiser says custodial interrogation not required
New Delhi Sep 24 PTI The Delhi High Court Friday granted bail to Preet Singh an organiser of the Jantar Mantar event where communal slogans were allegedly raised last month saying his custodial interrogation in the hate speech case is not required any longerJustice Mukta Gupta directed that the accused be released on bail on a personal bond of Rs 50000 with two sureties of the like amountThe petitioner has been in custody since 910082021The petitioner is no more required for custodial interrogation It is therefore directed that the petitioner be released on bail on his furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs 50000 with two surety bonds of the like amount subject to the satisfaction of the learned Trial Court Duty Magistrate the judge statedThe release is subject to the accused not leaving the country without prior permission of the court and in case of change of residential address andor mobile phone number is to be intimated through an affidavit The court said that as per the record the accused had left the venue at around 200 PM while the main provocative words slogans were shouted by the co-accused at around 400 PM It added that at this stage it would not be appropriate to express any opinion on whether the words spoken by the petitioner make out an offence under Section 153A IPC hate speech as it would be gone into at the stage of charge or during trial The order said The interview by the petitioner was not an isolated interview and was part of simultaneous conversation with number of speakers Further large number of people gathered at the spot due to petitioner co-organizing the protest and therefore the petitioner would be liable for any offence committed in furtherance of the common object of the assembly However as per the video footage and the call records of the petitioner the petitioner left the spot at around 200 PM whereafter the main provocative words slogans were shouted by the co-accused at around 400 PM Singh who was remanded in judicial custody on August 10 after his arrest is accused of creating enmity between different groups and inciting the youth to propagate against a particular religion at a rally at Jantar Mantar here on August 8 Seeking bail his lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain Singh argued that a demand of a Hindu Rashtra did not amount to promoting enmity between religious groups Nothing is said by my client which attracts Section 153A IPC They are putting a case of Section 34 IPC common intention but the event ended at 1145 am and sloganeering happened at 345 pm My client was not present at the time he had stated Counsel Tarang Srivastava representing the prosecution opposed the grant of bail saying that the investigation was still ongoing and Singhs absence at the time of chanting of allegedly communal slogans would not absolve him from any liability as all accused were acting in concert He added that even in his interview Singh referred to a specific community which was part of a series of same transaction On August 27 the trial court had refused bail to Singh saying that prima facie there had been active participation by the accused in his individual capacity and also as the main organiser of the event itselfPTI ADS SA
New Delhi Sep 24 PTI The Delhi High Court Friday granted bail to Preet Singh an organiser of the Jantar Mantar event where communal slogans were allegedly raised last month saying his custodial interrogation in the hate speech case is not required any longerJustice Mukta Gupta directed that the accused be released on bail on a personal bond of Rs 50000 with two sureties of the like amountThe petitioner has been in custody since 910082021The petitioner is no more required for custodial interrogation It is therefore directed that the petitioner be released on bail on his furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs 50000 with two surety bonds of the like amount subject to the satisfaction of the learned Trial Court Duty Magistrate the judge statedThe release is subject to the accused not leaving the country without prior permission of the court and in case of change of residential address andor mobile phone number is to be intimated through an affidavit The court said that as per the record the accused had left the venue at around 200 PM while the main provocative words slogans were shouted by the co-accused at around 400 PM It added that at this stage it would not be appropriate to express any opinion on whether the words spoken by the petitioner make out an offence under Section 153A IPC hate speech as it would be gone into at the stage of charge or during trial The order said The interview by the petitioner was not an isolated interview and was part of simultaneous conversation with number of speakers Further large number of people gathered at the spot due to petitioner co-organizing the protest and therefore the petitioner would be liable for any offence committed in furtherance of the common object of the assembly However as per the video footage and the call records of the petitioner the petitioner left the spot at around 200 PM whereafter the main provocative words slogans were shouted by the co-accused at around 400 PM Singh who was remanded in judicial custody on August 10 after his arrest is accused of creating enmity between different groups and inciting the youth to propagate against a particular religion at a rally at Jantar Mantar here on August 8 Seeking bail his lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain Singh argued that a demand of a Hindu Rashtra did not amount to promoting enmity between religious groups Nothing is said by my client which attracts Section 153A IPC They are putting a case of Section 34 IPC common intention but the event ended at 1145 am and sloganeering happened at 345 pm My client was not present at the time he had stated Counsel Tarang Srivastava representing the prosecution opposed the grant of bail saying that the investigation was still ongoing and Singhs absence at the time of chanting of allegedly communal slogans would not absolve him from any liability as all accused were acting in concert He added that even in his interview Singh referred to a specific community which was part of a series of same transaction On August 27 the trial court had refused bail to Singh saying that prima facie there had been active participation by the accused in his individual capacity and also as the main organiser of the event itselfPTI ADS SA
