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Parliament security breach accusedmoves HC for release
Neelam Singh alias Neelam Azad, one of the six people arrested in connection with the Parliament security breach, on Wednesday moved the Delhi high court.
Neelam Singh alias Neelam Azad, one of the six people arrested in connection with the Parliament security breach, on Wednesday moved the Delhi high court, alleging her police remand was illegal as she was not allowed to consult a legal practitioner of her choice and was not produced before a trial court as per norms.
In her petition filed through advocate Suresh Kumar, Singh said the remand order dated December 21 is illegal as the trial court “made a fatal error by adjudicating the remand application first and then asking the petitioner (Singh) if she wanted to be defended by a legal practitioner of her choice.”
“Upon arrival in the court, an advocate associated with the Delhi Legal Service Authority (DLSA) already present in the court was appointed as she did not have legal representation. She and her co accused were not given any option with regards to their legal representation. Nor were they provided with any information about the appointed counsel that might have any impact on their decision,” the petition said.
The accused also said that following her arrest on December 13, on the day of the security breach, she was produced before the trial court “after a period of 29 hours”, in violation of Article 22 of the Constitution. She sought an immediate release from the custody of Delhi Police.
Article 22 requires police to inform the person about the grounds on which he/she has been detailed, allow him/her to be defended by a legal practitioner of his/her choice and to produce the person before the magistrate within 24 hours of detention.
Singh and the remaining accused have been arrested under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Of the six accused, two men walked through three layers of security with smoke canisters stuffed in their shoes, vaulted into the Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery, and sprayed smoke inside the hallowed chambers in a daring breach of security on December 13, the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack.
Outside Parliament, two others, including Singh, shouted slogans such as “Tanashahi nahi chalegi (no to dictatorship)”, “Bharat Mata ki jai” and “Jai Bhim”. They were later detained by the police.
Two people were later arrested for their involvement in the plan.
