A Delhi court granted bail on Friday to members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), including its Delhi president and state secretary, who were arrested for their "involvement" in anti-CAA protests and the clashes in northeast Delhi.
Metropolitan Magistrate Prabh Deep Kaur granted bail to Mohammad Danish, Parvez Alam, PFI Delhi president, and its state secretary Mohammad Ilyas, and asked the investigating officer (IO) to explain by March 17 as to why they were not granted bail, despite the alleged offences being bailable.
"It is a settled principle that in bailable offences, it is the duty of the IO to offer bail to the accused persons at the first instance. There is no explanation by the IO as to why he had not offered bail to the accused persons at the first instance as per the constitutional as well as procedural mandate and therefore, let a written explanation be called from the IO concerned with respect to his failure to offer bail to the accused persons in bailable offences as per the constitutional and procedural mandate returnable on March 17," the court said.
It granted bail to the accused on furnishing a bond of Rs 30,000 each.
Parvez Alam and Mohammad Ilyas were sent to seven-day police remand last Thursday, whereas Mohammad Danish was sent to four-day police custody on Monday for interrogation in connection with last month's violence in northeast Delhi.
Parvez Alam and Mohammad Ilyas were arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell last Thursday.
The bail order came after the police sought further custodial interrogation of the accused.
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