Court rejects bail to tailor arrested in workers’ unrest case

Noida: A local court on Friday rejected the bail application of Naresh, a tailor arrested on May 23 for allegedly setting fire to vehicles near Vipul Motors in Sector 63 during an industrial workers’ agitation on April 13.First additional sessions judge Sunil Kumar 1 held that the evidence on record indicated the applicant’s prima facie involvement in an incident of a serious nature, involving gang violence and a breach of law and order in an industrial area.“It cannot be ruled out that granting bail will potentially lead to influencing witnesses and send a negative message to society,” the judge observed, finding insufficient grounds for release.A security guard at Vipul Motors, Neeraj, told police in his statement recorded under Section 180 of BNSS that on April 13 at around 1.30pm, a mob of 200–250 people armed with sticks, rods and stones set fire to vehicles parked outside the company, entered the premises, vandalised it, burnt the guard room, assaulted workers and threatened to kill them. After reviewing video footage, Neeraj identified Naresh as being present and involved in the arson.Counsel for the applicant argued that the FIR was filed against unknown people and Naresh was not named in it. He also flagged a one-day delay in registering the FIR, for which no explanation was offered. According to the defence, Naresh was initially picked up on suspicion under Section 151 CrPC (preventive detention) while passing near the scene. He subsequently travelled to his village after his elderly mother fell ill on hearing of the incident, and was later apprehended at Ghaziabad railway station, detained for four days, and then falsely implicated.The prosecution countered that Naresh participated in rioting along with co-accused, entered the Vipul Motors workshop, committed vandalism and arson, and assaulted and threatened those present.Naresh has been charged under BNS sections pertaining to rioting (191(2)), joint liability of unlawful assembly (190), endangering human life (125), mischief by fire or explosive substance (326(G)), house trespass (333), wilful destruction of property (324(4)), voluntarily causing hurt (115(2)), criminal intimidation (351(2)), and common intent (3(5)), along with Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act.