The Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Imphal West on Tuesday granted bail to Irom Sharmila who told the court that she would end her fast if set free.
“Charges against me are bailable. When I am ready to break fast, I appeal you to free me,” she told the Magistrate.
She also told the court that she is being seen as a “strange women” and has to be free now and change her strategy.
The Magistrate, Lamkhanpao Tonsing, asked Ms. Sharmila whether she pleads guilty of the charges brought by the prosecution, or not guilty. The activist, who has been protesting against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, said that she is not guilty of any crime. She said that it is a democratic protest.
She signed a personal bail bond of Rs. 10,000, which was later accepted by the judge. The case against her will continue on August 23, 2016, when she has to be produced in the court again.
During her appearance in the court she told the Magistrate that she wants to contest elections against the Chief Minister. Later, speaking to the media she said that she wants to contest polls.
“I have been fasting for 16 years. I have not got anything, from it yet. I want to try a different agitation now,” she told journalists before being whisked away by the police.
Though she broke her fast, experts say that she would require medical assistance before starting to lead a normal life. She was then taken to Jawaharlal Nehru National Institute of Medical Sciences where she has been lodged for several years.
Ms. Sharmila was being force-fed since November 2000, when she started her protest demanding repeal of AFSPA.
