Delhi University lecturer Syed Abdul Rehman Geelani, who was granted bail by a court in a sedition case, was released from Tihar Central Jail on Monday after the court gave relaxation in police verification of the Kashmir address provided by the individual who stood surety for the accused.
Mr. Geelani’s release was earlier held up for want of verification of the surety’s addresses of Srinagar and Lajpat Nagar, Delhi.
The police had asked for a few days for completing verification of the Srinagar address after confirmation of the Delhi address, mentioned by Mr. Geelani in the bail bond.
While accepting the bail bond, a Metropolitan Magistrate on Monday gave time to the police till April 11 for completing physical verification of the address and issued warrant for the release of Mr. Geelani.
The sedition case was registered against him in connection with a controversial event organised in the Press Club of India here on February 10, where slogans hailing Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru were allegedly raised.
Additional sessions judge Deepak Garg had granted bail to the academician on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs.50,000 with one surety in the like amount.
The court had observed that no purpose would be served by keeping him in judicial custody any more pending further investigation.“There is no allegation of the state that there is any apprehension of the accused fleeing from justice,” observed the court while granting bail.
Mr. Geelani’s family had alleged that “delaying tactics” were being adopted in his release because of his Kashmiri identity, as he had been wrongly charged with terror links in the past too. The property papers of the surety were submitted to the court on time.
The Hindu had reported about Mr. Geelani’s family facing anxious moments due to delay in his release as a result of the police verification process taking time. An application was later moved on his behalf in the court seeking his early release.
A magisterial court had on February 19 dismissed the bail application of Mr. Geelani, who was arrested on February 16. The Delhi police opposed the bail plea in the sessions court, saying that holding of the event amounted to contempt of court. The prosecution said Mr. Geelani and other participants in the event were celebrating Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat, who were convicted by the Supreme Court and given death sentence.
However, Mr. Geelani’s counsel Satish Tamta pointed out that the first information report registered in connection with the event had stated that the Press Club office-bearers had asked the people raising slogans to desist from it and leave the venue, which they did. There was nothing on record to prove that Mr. Geelani had raised anti-India slogans or asked others to do so, he said.
