Supreme Court Cancels Bail of Two Accused in Haldwani Riots Case
Top court directs two accused booked under UAPA to surrender within two weeks and criticises High Court’s decision to grant default bail.
The Supreme Court has cancelled the bail granted to two accused in the Haldwani riots case linked to the violence that took place two years ago.
A division bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta allowed the appeals filed by the Uttarakhand government and set aside the bail granted to Javed Siddiqui and Arshad Ayub. The court directed both accused to surrender before authorities within two weeks.
The Supreme Court also criticised the High Court for granting default bail in the case. The bench observed that the High Court was wrong in questioning the conduct of the investigating officer over the time taken to complete the probe.
According to the court, a review of the records showed that the High Court had made inappropriate remarks against the investigating agency for allegedly not carrying out the investigation at a proper pace. The bench said there was no justification for suggesting that the probe was being handled carelessly or slowly.
The court further noted that the accused had not immediately challenged the trial court’s orders extending the investigation period and rejecting their bail pleas. The bench criticised the High Court for overlooking this important aspect of the matter.
The judges pointed out that by the time the appeals were filed, the investigation had already been completed and the charge sheet had also been submitted.
The case relates to the Haldwani riots that took place in 2024. The FIR in the matter includes allegations of large scale violence, arson, destruction of public property, and attacks on a police station building. Several individuals were also accused of using petrol bombs during the unrest.
Apart from various sections of criminal law, the case also includes charges under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, the Arms Act, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The accused were arrested on February 9, 2024. They had sought default bail on the grounds that the investigation was not completed within 90 days. Their plea was rejected by the trial court, after which they approached the High Court in appeal.