SC grants bail to 3 accused in Sambhal Jama Masjid violence case

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to three persons accused in connection with the violence that broke out on November 24 last year during a court-ordered survey of the Jama Masjid in UP's Sambhal to determine whether a temple existed at the site.

A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan passed an order granting bail to the accused -- Danish, Faizan, and Nazir -- who had challenged the Allahabad High Court’s decision dismissing their bail plea.

The case stems from the clashes that broke out amid a contentious survey of the Jama Masjid premises in Sambhal, following a Chandausi court’s order on November 19, 2024.

The violence had led to several cases being registered and a wide-ranging investigation into alleged conspiracies behind the unrest.

In its order, the Allahabad High Court, while rejecting Faizan’s bail plea, observed that he had been identified in CCTV footage and that incriminating material had been recovered from his possession.

Justice Ashutosh Srivastava noted that Faizan’s alleged role in "stone pelting and arson" could not be ruled out and held that "no good ground to release the applicant-accused on bail" was made out at that stage.

His counsel had argued before the Allahabad High Court that he was not named in the FIR and had been falsely implicated based on co-accused confessions, which are inadmissible under Section 23 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

The Allahabad HC clarified that the observations were limited to the decision on the bail application and will not affect the trial of the case.

The police charge sheet has named Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and the son of local MLA Iqbal Mahmood among the accused. In total, 37 individuals have been specifically identified, while an additional 3,750 people are accused but remain unnamed in connection with the violence.

--IANS

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