Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted bail to Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad alias 'Ravan', the main accused in the Saharanpur violence, and three others, saying the charges against them are politically motivated.
Chandrashekhar has already got bail from Sessions Court in Saharanpur in one case, while hearing is due in case registered under IT Act.
Single Bench of Justice Mukhtar Ahmad sanctioned bail while hearing the bail application filed by Chandrashekhar and his deputy Kamal Walia. Both of them were booked under charges of murder, robbery, riot and arson.
The Bhim Army chief had been on the run after charges were framed against him, before being finally arrested in Himachal Pradesh by the Uttar Pradesh STF.
Imam Mabud Khan, Chandrashekhar’s lawyer, told News18, “As you know there were caste based riots in Saharanpur in which about 50 to 55 houses of Dalits were gutted in fire but only 25 FIRs were registered by the administration and that too after a lot of pressure. To counter these FIR’s by Dalits, the administration lodged counter FIRs against Dalit leaders and students.”
“Due to which Chandrashekhar ‘Ravan’ was arrested from Himachal despite the fact that he was not involved in anything. After hearing today’s arguments the court observed that they were falsely implicated and the charges were politically motivated. Hence, the honourable court granted bail to all of them,” he added.
Chandrashekhar was born in Dhadkuli village near Chatmalpur in Saharanpur. A law graduate from a local college in the district, he first courted controversy in 2015, when he put up a board at his native place that read 'The Great Chamars of Dhadkauli Welcome You'. The move led to tensions between the Dalits and the Thakurs in the village.
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