Agra court grants bail to 6 Cong workers arrested for defacing CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s ancestral home | India News
NEW DELHI: A local court on Saturday granted bail to six Congress workers arrested for allegedly defacing the outer wall of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s ancestral home in Agra during a protest against alleged manipulation of voter lists.The accused – Mukesh Dhangar, Anil Yadav, Rajesh Kumar, Manoj Gaur, Rajesh Gautam and Pankaj Chaudhary – were granted bail after furnishing surety bonds of Rs 20,000 each, advocate Santosh Dixit, who represented them, said.The six were arrested on September 29 and had been sent to jail following a case registered against them under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those relating to attempt to murder, rioting, wrongful restraint and assault or criminal force against a public servant.Dixit said the police had dropped Section 109(2) of the BNS, relating to attempt to murder, after failing to substantiate the charge in its submissions before the court.In an earlier hearing, the court had directed the police to conduct a detailed investigation into the invocation of Section 109(1), asking them to specify the facts, injuries, medical evidence, eyewitness testimony or other evidence supporting the charge.The court had also directed the investigating officer to complete the probe by October 3 and drop the section if the investigation did not establish the alleged offence.On September 28 protest in which some Congress workers allegedly wrote slogans with black paint on the gate and outer wall of Kumar’s residence in the Vijay Nagar area of Agra.
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Police registered the case at Hariparvat police station on a complaint by a sub-inspector against eight named persons and 15-20 unidentified Congress workers.The other charges in the case include Section 121 of the BNS, relating to voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter a public servant from performing his duty, Section 126 on wrongful restraint and Section 132 on assault or criminal force against a public servant. Provisions relating to rioting, house-trespass, criminal intimidation and intentional insult were also invoked.Congress Agra city president Amit Singh welcomed the bail order and said the party would continue its agitation against Kumar.“The serious section imposed by the police has been removed by the court. This is a victory for democracy,” Singh said, adding that the Congress would continue its campaign until Kumar resigns as Chief Election Commissioner.
