CEC Protest: Court Orders Release of Students on Bail
Patiala House Court orders the release of students arrested during the CEC Gyanesh Kumar protest via surety and personal bonds.
In a significant development following the protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the Patiala House Court has ordered the release of several students arrested during the demonstration. On Tuesday, the court facilitated the release of five students through surety bonds, while another eight were granted release on personal bonds due to financial constraints.
Details of the Court Order
The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Kautuk Bhardwaj, presided over the proceedings. The court accepted surety bonds for five specific individuals: Samarth Sinthe gh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Anuj Bhagat, Aman Aggwal, and Gajender Singh, each providing a bond of Rs 15,000.
However, the legal proceedings took a compassionate turn for eight other accused individuals. Their legal counsel, including Advocate Saimon Farooque and Mohd. Azam Khan, argued that these students were from outside Delhi and faced severe financial hardships that prevented them from providing immediate surety. The defense emphasized that denying them release on personal bonds would effectively defeat the purpose of the bail already granted.
Release Conditions and Next Steps
Accepting these submissions, the court ordered the release of Dharmender, Rohit, Adarsh, Sunny Deol, Brajesh Pandey, Sheikh Yunus, Adnan Barmare, and Buddhashil Thaware on personal bonds. These students, currently held in Tihar Jail, must comply with the following conditions:
- They must furnish formal surety bonds within 15 days of their release.
- They must not interfere with the ongoing investigation.
- They must appear regularly before the court.
- They are prohibited from leaving the country without prior judicial permission.
Background of the Arrests
The arrests stem from a protest directed at CEC Gyanesh Kumar, which led to the detention of 17 students and one freelance journalist by the Delhi Police on Monday. An FIR was registered at the Parliament Street Police Station under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
During the hearing, the investigating officer attempted to seek a 13-day extension of judicial custody for the accused. However, the application was rejected by the court, noting that bail had already been granted to all accused parties on October 5. The prosecution has also placed CCTV footage before the court as electronic evidence to support the investigation into the protest activities.