A sessions court in Mumbai on Sunday granted bail to 29
protesters arrested over the last two days on charges of allegedly obstructing
and assaulting police personnel on duty during protests against felling of
trees at Aarey Colony.
Additional sessions court judge H C Shende of the holiday court ordered their
release on certain conditions including production of personal surety of Rs
7,000 and assurance that they would not take part in protests.
However, the protesters are unlikely to walk out of the Thane jail, where most
of them are currently lodged, on Sunday pending completion of the legal
procedure and other formalities.
The arrests were made over Friday night and Saturday after clashes broke out
between the police and green activists opposing axing of trees by Mumbai Metro
Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) in Aarey Colony in north Mumbai.
The trees are being felled to make way for a metro rake depot after the Bombay
High Court on Friday dismissed a clutch of petitions challenging the Mumbai
civic body’s order for chopping the trees. The HC on Saturday refused to grant
stay on felling of trees.
Police imposed section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Aarey, restricting
movements and gathering of groups, on Saturday, which was extended on Sunday as
well.
Advocates representing the 29 applicants, most of them students, requested the
court they be granted bail as many of them have to appear for examinations
beginning on Monday.
They told the court that the custody of the applicants was not needed anymore
since the metropolitan magistrate court in Borivali had already remanded them
in judicial custody.
“Since many of the applicants are young students, the court is of the view
that they can be released on certain conditions,” said one of the
advocates Aditya Bambulkar.
He said the court ordered every applicant to produce and deposit a personal
surety of Rs 7000 with police stations concerned where cases were registered.
“Till filing surety the applicants be released on their depositing
provisional cash surety of Rs 7,000 for one month in the police stations
concerned. Police have to submit the sureties in the court as the present bail
application was filed before the holiday court,” stated the order.
Bambulkar said the court also directed the applicants to not indulge in any
protests.
“They have been directed to attend police stations once in 15 days on
Wednesdays during 6 pm-9 pm. They are also asked to cooperate with the
investigating officer,” he said quoting the court order.
Police had arrested the 29 protesters, including six women, when some of them
allegedly tried to obstruct the police personnel at Aarey from discharging
their duty and manhandling them.
At least 38 protesters were booked under IPC sections 353 (assault or criminal
force to deter public servant from discharging duty), 332 (voluntarily causing
hurt to deter public servant from duty) and 143 (unlawful assembly).
Source: PTI