On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court granted bail to the 27-year-old student activist Safoora Zargar, after the Central Government stated that it had no objection to her release on humanitarian grounds.
The bench headed by Justice Rajiv Shakhder granted regular bail to Safoora on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10k, after widespread concerns were raised with regards to her incarceration, who is in the 23rd week of her pregnancy and also concerning about the overcrowding in Tihar jail, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that without going into the merits of the plea, and without considering this as a precedent, the State has no problem with Safoora being released on bail, provided, she doesn’t indulge in activities she’s being investigated for and also insisted that she should remain in Delhi. Meanwhile, Advocate Nithya Ramakrishnan, appearing for Safoora, submitted that she might have to go to Faridabad to consult her doctor.
Meanwhile, Justice Shakhdher highlighted that he had received certain documents in ‘sealed cover’ from the State, which he has not opened or perused and directed that the same will be returned to the office of the Solicitor General.
On 10th April, Safoora Zargar, an M.Phil. student from Jamia Millia Islamia was arrested and has been charged under anti-terror law of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for her alleged role in the Northeast Delhi riots that broke out in February, against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
