Court orders Delhi Police to verify sureties of 5 granted bail in riots larger conspiracy case

A Delhi court ordered police to verify sureties for bail granted by the Supreme Court in the northeast Delhi riots case, with hearings set for Wednesday.

NEW DELHI

The direction was issued by additional sessions judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts. (Shutterstock)

A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered Delhi Police to verify sureties furnished by those granted bail by the Supreme Court in the northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, and posted the matter for orders on their release from jail.

The direction was issued by additional sessions judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts.

Four of the five accused persons furnished two local sureties each, as directed by the Supreme Court, while Shadab Ahmad did not furnish his sureties on the day. The court has directed the police to verify the sureties within a day and set the next date of hearing for Wednesday, when release orders are likely expected.

During a surety verification, a standard procedure once bail is granted, the court sends the details of the person who stands as surety to the local police station, which confirms details of the surety, including the person’s address, identification details and financial capacity to pay the surety amount, if the accused absconds.

A report is subsequently sent back to court, mostly within a day, following which the court issues a release order and sends it to the jail authorities.

ASJ Bajpai is hearing the case pertaining to the northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy, wherein 18 persons, including several student activists, are accused of hatching a conspiracy to incite violence in the capital, as part of their protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Charges are yet to be framed against the accused.

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the larger conspiracy case, but ordered the release of two co-accused, holding that continued incarceration of the latter was not indispensable to the conduct of a fair trial at the present stage. The court said that the five co-accused were coordinators and not conspirators. They were granted bail on a bond of ₹2 lakh each and two local sureties.

The bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria, said that, considering the role attributed to the five accused, their liberty could be secured through strict safeguards. Denying bail to Khalid and Imam, the bench cited the gravity and the statutory nature of their alleged offences and their “central and formative roles” in the conspiracy.