Delhi polls 2025: Riot accused gets 6-day custody parole from SC to campaign

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted sixday custody parole to former AAP councillor and February 2020 riots accused Tahir Hussain who is contesting on a AIMIM ticket to campaign for Delhi assembly elections reported news agency PTICustody parole entails a prisoner being escorted by armed police personnel to the place of visitA full bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta allowed Hussains plea to campaign in police custody from January 29 to February 3 PTI statedHussain would only be allowed to leave jail along with security for 12 hours as per the jail manual SC saidThe apex court said the former councillor could walk out of jail at around 6 am and return by 6 pmThe bench said Hussains custody parole would be subject to the deposit of Rs 247 lakh per day as part of security expenses including the police escort PTI statedHussain should not visit his Karawal Nagar home which is an alleged site of the 2020 riots and also restrain from making any public comments over the cases merits said the courtSCs clarification of the orderThe apex court clarified that the order will not be treated as a precedent as it was passed in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case PTI statedSC stated that Hussains bail application in the Delhi High Court should be decided on its own merits without being influenced by the benchs orderSenior advocate Siddharth Aggarwal appearing for Hussain argued only fourfive days were left to campaignAggarwal according to PTI said his client was contesting from the Mustafabad seat and he wont visit his house and stay at a hotel aside from sharing the detailsAdditional solicitor general S V Raju opposed the plea saying his role in the riots was serious If granted the relief said Raju everybody would fill nominations in jail reported PTIThe apex court asked Raju to seek instructions on the expenses and security would be required and told Aggarwal to inform the undertakings Hussain proposed to giveThe order was passed on Hussains plea to allow him to campaign in custody for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections 2025Previous plea failed to secure interim bailTahir Hussain failed to secure interim bail on January 22 after a twojudge bench of the apex court gave a split verdictThe Delhi High Court granted custody parole to him on January 14 to file his nomination papers from the Mustafabad constituency in the national capitalHowever his plea was declined for interim bail from January 14 to February 9 to contest the February 5 election saying the gravity of the allegations against Hussain being the main perpetrator in the violence that resulted in the death of several people could not be overlooked reported PTIThe Delhi high court as per PTI said 11 FIRs were lodged against Hussain in connection with the 2020 riots and he was admittedly in custody in a related moneylaundering case and a case registered under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPADelhi riots 2020Violence broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24 2020 leaving 53 people dead and several injured Hussain is an accused in a case connected to the death of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit SharmaAccording to the prosecution on February 26 2020 complainant Ravinder Kumar informed the Dayalpur police station that his son Sharma was missing since the previous dayHis body was reportedly found from the Khajuri Khas nullah in the riotaffected area and it bore 51 injuries PTI statedOn January 22 a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Pankaj Mithal and Ahsanuddin Amanullah delivered a split verdict on Hussains pleaWhile Justice Mithal dismissed Hussains plea saying no case was made out Justice Amanullah opined that he could be released on interim bail PTI statedThe judges asked the top court registry to place the matter before Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna for a new bench to decide the issueWith inputs from PTI