A Delhi Court refused to give an anticipatory bail to Preet Singh, a man accused of chanting anti-Muslim slogans in the Jantar Mantar.
The Court said, “he cannot absolve himself of all responsibility for the inflammatory and incendiary content in the speeches allegedly made during the event.”
The order passed on August 27, by the Court stated that the event was conducted at Jantar Mantar in spite of the denial of permission by the Delhi Police and other authorities in the times of Covid, breaking Covid protocols that were issued by the Union Government. Singh who heads the ‘Save India Foundation’ allegedly organised the event on August 8 called “Bharat Jodo Andolan”.
The Court said, “It is apposite to mention that the applicant not only voluntarily organised the event but also actively participated and provided support to the views and contents of inflammatory speeches, which were being made by the participants/accused persons at that time, by acknowledging and endorsing via gestures and clapping intermittently.”
The Judge said, “ He had given the stature of the accused, it was expected that he ought to have exercised his authority, in these circumstances and prevented participants from airing such inflammatory opinions in the larger interest of the public and committee welfare. On the other hand, the applicant is clearly seen actively participating in the incendiary speeches along with his other associates.”
The Judge also mentioned, “In addition, on prima facile analysis of the inflammatory and incendiary content of the speeches or interviews of the participants members of the event, comments especially those pertaining in express pejorative references to a religious community and keeping in view that the applicant was an active organiser of the event, he can not later absolve himself of the responsibility of the content or consequences arising therefrom.”
Additional Public Prosecutor SK Kain opposed the bail plea, arguing that it appeared, the speech made by Singh along with the other co-accused had hateful slogans against a particular religion. Azad Singh, the Counsel of Singh, argued that “he had gone to the event only to inform the supporters not to gather as there was no permission and the event had been cancelled. He also said that Singh did not intend to cause any harm to any public, person, any property concerning individual and government and spread any kind of hatred or enmity between the community and public.”
Singh has been booked for various offences which includes, promoting enmity between different groups and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act. The Court also mentioned that an anticipatory bail application moved by co-accused and president of Hindu Raksha Dal, Pinki Chaudhary, on similar ground was dismissed earlier.
The court also said, a number of accused people were absconding and evading the process of law and the entire incriminating material is yet to be recovered. The prosecution also told the Court that the accusations were severe in nature and the investigation was still in a primitive stage.