After spending almost a month in Tihar jail for defying prohibitory orders and allegedly instigating the crowd which turned violent near Delhi Gate on December 20, the Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad had been granted bail yesterday. This bail, however, came with several restrictions.
Since the court restrictions would come into effect only after 24 hours, Chandrashekhar Azad has probably thought of continuing with his drama until then. Immediately after being released from Tihar jail, Azad headed towards Jama Masjid to continue the farce which was probably left incomplete after his arrest last month.
He was seen sitting with a copy of India’s constitution outside the Jama Masjid in Delhi. After spending an hour there, Azad plans to visit Ravidas temple, a gurudwara and a church before addressing a press conference at around 4 pm. He will have to, however, wind up the theatricals by 6-6.30 pm as he will have to leave for his hometown Saharanpur by then, as ordered by the additional sessions court in Delhi.
Watch live: Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad holds up a copy of India’s constitution outside the #JamaMasjid in Delhi. #CitizenshipAmendmentACT #CAA2019 pic.twitter.com/Yh8w5f06UR
— NDTV (@ndtv) January 17, 2020
While hearing the case, Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau yesterday ordered Uttar Pradesh police to escort him back to Saharanpur, his hometown in UP, as he will not be allowed to enter Delhi for the next four weeks. Expressing her concern regarding security in Delhi, Lau strictly ordered Azad to appear before an SHO in Saharanpur, his hometown, every Saturday for the next four weeks, and then every last Saturday of every month until the chargesheet is filed in the matter.
The court has not only ordered Azad to stay away from Delhi until elections but also prohibited him from taking part in dharnas for next one month. Azad has also been banned from joining the protest at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, as he had planned.
Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad had been arrested in connection with the violence in Old Delhi’s Daryagan on December 21, a day after his outfit defied a Police ban and organised a march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar against the new citizenship law.
The Delhi Police had denied permission to Chandrashekhar Azad’s protest march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar. Reports say that thousands of Muslims gathered at Jama Masjid after the Friday prayers, joined by Bhim Army members.
On the day of the march, Azad had given a slip to the Delhi Police after the security personnel tried to detain him. He came outside Jama Masjid early Saturday (December 21) and was detained. He was arrested later, police said. After being detained, Azad was kept at the Crime Branch office in Chanakyapuri since he said he was unwell. He was later handed over to the central district police.
Police had suspected Azad instigated the crowd which turned violent near Delhi Gate and burnt a car.
