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June 2022 Prayagraj violence: Allahabad HC grants bail to alleged mastermind
Javed Mohammad, a resident of Prayagraj’s Kareli area, was arrested by Prayagraj Police a day after the violence on June 11 last year
The Allahabad high court on Saturday granted bail to Javed Mohammad aka Javed Pump, the alleged mastermind of last year’s June 10 violence that erupted after the Friday ‘namaz’ in Atala locality of Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district.
Allowing the bail application of Javed Mohammad, Justice Sameer Jain observed, “Although, it appears that due to the aggression and activeness of the applicant, the people of his community gathered in large number and thereafter mob committed the violence but considering the fact that applicant does not appear to be instrumental for such violence and he is in jail, in the present matter, since June 10, 2022 and as many as nine similarly placed accused persons have already been enlarged on bail, and also considering the law laid down by the apex court in case of Satyendra Kumar Antil (supra) case, in my view applicant is entitled to be released on bail.”
The present FIR was lodged against Javed and 13 others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Explosive Substance Act, the Public Property Damages Act and the Explosive Substance Act at Kareli police station of Prayagraj district on June 11, 2022.
Appearing on behalf of the applicant, senior advocate SFA Naqvi argued that the applicant neither did he participate in the incident nor was he instrumental in such an incident. He further submitted that even as per the FIR, more than 200 people were involved in the incident but out of them only 14, including the applicant, were named and this fact clearly suggested that well known persons of the locality had been implicated by the police.
He further submitted that the applicant was a social worker and used to raise his voice against the atrocities on public and only due to this reason he was falsely implicated by the police in the present matter.
On the other hand, additional advocate general (AAG), Manish Goyal, vehemently opposed the request for bail and submitted that in the incident a number of police vehicles were damaged and the applicant along with other accused persons promoted enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion and race.
He further submitted that the act of the applicant was prejudicial to national integration and from the FIR itself it appeared that the applicant along with other accused persons tried to create terror among the common people and law and order was badly disturbed.
Javed Mohammad, a resident of Prayagraj’s Kareli area, was arrested by Prayagraj Police a day after the violence on June 11 last year. He was later shifted to Deoria jail. Later, the National Security Act (NSA) was also invoked against him. The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) had demolished his house on June 12 last. The officials had claimed that the house was constructed without approval of any map by the PDA.
