The Delhi Police on Monday has filed its reply to bail plea by, Safoora Zargar, M.Phill Student in Jamia Milia Islamia who was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a case related to Delhi Riots during the protests against CAA.
Safoora Zargar is over four months pregnant and on the previous date Court has directed to file reply. Today, in its status report the Delhi Police has stated that “till date 39 deliveries have taken place in Delhi Prison in the last 10 years.”
A single-judge bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher adjourns the hearing till tomorrow on the request of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The matter will be heard next on 23rd June, 2020.
In its reply Delhi Police has submitted that “there is no exception carved out for pregnant inmate, who is accused of such heinous crime, to be released on bail merely because of their pregnancy.” It has further been submitted that Zargar was given adequate safeguards and medical attention during her custody in jail.
The Delhi Police has submitted that Zargar was lodged in a separate cell all alone and therefore the chance of her contacting COVID 19 from any other person does not arise. In fact more care and caution was being practiced in jail so far as social distancing norms are concerned than would be available to her outside the jail premises, added the Delhi Police.
Commenting on pregnancy as a ground taken by Zargar for bail, the Delhi Police submitted that “the very fact of rearing of life ought to have been a check on activities which had a potential to cause and which did in fact cause large scale destruction of life and property.”
The Delhi Police urged the Court to reject the bail plea of Safoora Zargar & has submitted that a clear case has been made out against her and serious offence has been meticulously planned and executed by the accused as can be made out from the statements of witnesses.
Safoora Zargar, a Pregnant Jamia scholar was arrested on April 10 in the Delhi Riots case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches and being a part of a conspiracy to strike the communal violence in Delhi.
On June 4, the trial Court dismissed Zargar’s bail plea after which she has approached the High Court seeking bail in the case.
-India Legal Bureau