SC dismisses Delhi Police's plea seeking cancellation of bail to 'Pinjra Tod' activist
Oct 28, 2020
New Delhi [India], October 28 : The Supreme Court dismissed a plea of Delhi Police seeking cancellation of bail granted by the Delhi High Court to 'Pinjra Tod' activist Devangana Kalita, arrested in connection with the north-east Delhi violence cases.
A Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan dismissing the plea said, it was just bail and she is not going to run away.
"How can she tamper with witnesses? Is she such an influential person? And can being influential etc be a ground to deny bail? We will not interfere," the Bench said.
Additional Solicitor General SC Raju appearing for the Delhi Police said she is a very influential person.
On September 1, the Delhi High Court had granted bail to Kalita and had noted that police had failed to present any material showing she instigated women of a particular community or gave hate speech.
Justice Suresh Kumar Kait of the High Court had granted bail to Kalita and directed her not to "directly or indirectly influence any witness or tamper with evidence".
She has also been asked not to leave the country without the permission of the trial court.
Kalita was granted bail in connection with an FIR registered on February 26, 2020, at Jafrabad police station. The case is being investigated by the Crime Branch. She is currently facing four different FIRs connected to the anti-CAA protests in Jafrabad, violence in north-east Delhi and Daryaganj during a protest against the new citizenship law last year.
Delhi Police has also invoked sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a separate case related to the communal violence against Kalita.
She was first arrested on May 23, along with fellow JNU student Natasha Narwal in relation with an FIR registered on February 24 over a sit-in protest at Jafrabad metro station against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
