Another convict in the 2012 Manesar Maruti violence case was granted bail on Tuesday by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Yogesh, one of the 13 Maruti workers sentenced to life imprisonment, is the fourth convict to get relief over the past three months. Senior advocate A.P.S. Deol said his client, Yogesh, had sought bail on the principle of parity since three convicts in the case are already out on bail. The bail pleas of the remaining convicts are also likely to come up for hearing over the next few months.
With relief being granted to Yogesh, seven convicts in the high-profile case are now in jail. Two of the convicts, Pawan Dahiya and Jiya Lal, had died due to electrocution and cancer respectively during parole period last year.
HR manager murder
The District and Sessions Court in Gurugram had on March 10, 2017, convicted 31 of the 148 accused in the case and acquitted the remaining 117. Thirteen of those convicted, including 12 office-bearers of the Maruti Suzuki Workers’ Union, were sentenced to life imprisonment for killing the company’s Human Resources manager Awanish Kumar Dev. While 14 were let off with the court considering the period they had spent in jail during the trial as the term of sentence, the remaining four were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
Besides the death of the HR manager, around 90 executives were also injured in the violence on July 18, 2012.
Rambilas was the first among the 13 convicts to be granted bail in November last year bringing a ray of hope for the remaining convicts. Later, Suresh and Sandeep were granted bail on January 18 this year. “We welcome the bail granted to Yogesh. It has been possible because of the continued legal battle fought by their families, friends and lawyers. We hope the rest will also be out on bail soon,” said Khusi Ram, member, Maruti Workers’ Provisional Committee, spearheading the legal battle for the jailed workers..
