NEW DELHI: After 26 days in judicial custody, the senior Congress leader, Mr.H.K.L, Bhagat, was ted bail by Additional Sessions ludge at the Karkardooma courts.
The Additional Sessions Judge, MrS.N. Dhingra, directed the accused in the 1984 riots cases to be released after furnishing personal bond and surety of Rs 25,000 each, Mr. Bhagat was asked to fulfill the following conditions no attempt shall be made by him or his Supporters to win over, intimidate or frighten the witnesses; he will not visit or go to Tilak Vihar area nor send any of his so-called supporters there; and he will not bring. With him a crowd of slogan shouting “supporters” to the court premises.
In the four page order, the judge said, “While considering the bail application of the accused, the court has to strike a balance between the interest of society and the liberty of the accused. “The court has also to keep in mind that as soon as possible a fair trial should be held and the case should be. Brought to a logical end. But when Mr. Bhagat is in judicial custody, I doubt if the trial of this case or the trial of other riot cases fixed with the case. Of Mr. Bhagat can proceed altogether.”
‘Mr, Dhingra further said, “If Mr. Bhagat remained in judicial custody, he may always be kept in the hospital, so that another Rajan Pillai may not be enacted. The old age of Mr. Bhaj and the list of his ailments always stand in, the way of the jail administration and the hospital authorities from producing him in court.”
Incidentally, Mr. Bhagat kept from the court. Also, Ever since he w remanded to judicial custody, he not! | produced in the court on: of the subsequent hearings. When first ball application was rejected a 24, instead of landing in jal he landed in hospital complaining of different ailments,” said the judges.
Mr, Bhagat was again admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) hospital after he reportedly fell “unconscious” while he was taking a walk in the jail premises with former Union ‘Minister Kaplanath Rai.
Inhis order, Mr. Dhingra also passed strictures against the police and the jail administration, He pulled up the police for “an undeclared curfew” in Tilak Vihar, a resettlement colony of riot victims, on February 15, the last date of Mr, Bhagat’s case hearing.
“It seems we are living not in an eta of democracy but an era of Bhagat6cracy where the police could not reconcile itself to the sending to jail of Bhagats with power of yesteryears and the Bhagats of power of the present day, Instead of putting a check on the so-called’ supporters of Mr. Bhagat, it put under siege the entire colony of riot victims on the date of the hearing,” observed Mr. Dhingra.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 21, 1996
