Congress worker and actress Sadaf Jafar, former IPS officer SR Darapuri, activist Pawan Rao Ambedkar among many others were granted bail by a sessions court of Uttar Pradesh, today.
The Allahabad High Court had also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to respond to a petition which sought to quash an FIR filed against the Congress activist.
Sadaf Jafar was arrested on December 19, 2019, for rioting, attempt to murder and assault on public servants, during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Lucknow.
Jafar, had live-streamed on Facebook the protest and the alleged police brutality. In the footage, Jafar was pulled away by the police forces and did not receive any response when she asked the authorities the reason for her detention.
A writ petition filed by Jafar’s sister, Naheed Varma, challenged the FIR and also sought to declare the arrest illegal. Varma demanded that Jafar be kept in hygienic conditions, along with warm clothes, mattress and bedding in jail. She also urged the investigation in the case to be conducted by an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police, under the court’s supervision.
Earlier this week, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted about Sadaf’s arrest, as she reached Jafar’s house to meet her family members.
उप्र सरकार ने अमानवीयता की सारी हदें पार कर दी हैं। कांग्रेस की कार्यकर्ता सदफ जफर साफ-साफ वीडियो में पुलिस से हिंसा फैलाने वाले लोगों को गिरफ्तार करने की बात कह रही हैं। पुलिस ने सदफ पर बेबुनियाद आरोप लगाकर जेल में डाल दिया है। pic.twitter.com/YRCdfaWpiu
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) December 29, 2019
Bollywood celebrities including, Mahesh Bhatt, Swara Bhasker and Sushant Singh also demanded the release of Jafar.
If the mind is shackled or made impotent through fear, it makes no difference under what form of government you live, u are a subject & not a citizen . Without liberty of speech, all of the outward forms and structures of free institutions are a sham, a pretense. #FreeSadaf
— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) January 2, 2020
Activist and actor #sadafjafar is in jail in Lucknow.. not clear why! Her friends #DeepakKabir is also in jail because he went to enquire after her.. #FreeSadaf #FreeDeepak and make UP police accountable for its excesses!
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 2, 2020
Arrested, beaten and tortured for questioning @Uppolice during a FB live broadcast. #FreeSadaf
Actress-Activist Arrested During Facebook Live, Lucknow Cops Deny Assault https://t.co/LYxRzokrq7 via @YouTube— सुशांत सिंह sushant singh سوشانت سنگھ (@sushant_says) January 2, 2020