Labour rights activist Shiv Kumar, 24, was on Thursday granted bail by the Sessions Court at Sonipat in an attempt to murder case on the “ground of parity” leading to his release from the jail. He was earlier granted bail in two cases of rioting and extortion on Wednesday.
Mr. Kumar, the district president of Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, a workers rights’ group, was arrested by the Haryana Police on January 23 in connection with three First Information Reports registered at Kundli Police Station. The first of the three FIRs was registered on December 28, 2020 on charges of extortion, rioting and criminal intimidation. On January 12, the Haryana Police registered two more FIRs against him on similar charges, including one with the attempt to murder charge.
His fellow activist and co-accused in the three cases, Nodeep Kaur, was granted bail by Punjab and Haryana High Court this past week and released from the jail.
Session Judge Yashvir Singh Rathor, in his bail order, observed that the co-accused Ms. Kaur, whose case was identical to that of applicant, was released on bail by the High Court and thus applicant was entitled to be released on bail on the ground of parity. He was allowed to be released on bail on furnishing personal bond of ₹1 lakh with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of Area/Duty Magistrate.
Ms. Kaur was present during the release of Mr. Kumar from Sonipat Jail in the evening.
Announcing his release, Ms. Kaur, in a tweet, said that Mr. Kumar was being taken to hospital in view of his condition and would soon be back in the public after the recovery.
The medical report of Mr. Kumar submitted at the Punjab and Haryana High Court had revealed eight injuries and two fractures. In the report, Mr. Kumar had alleged that he was picked up by the police on January 16 at Kundli and tortured during illegal custody. He was produced before the court on January 24 and remanded to ten days police custody. On February 2, the court remanded him to judicial custody.
Published - March 04, 2021 07:11 pm IST
