HC rejects bail of Banphoolpura riots’ mastermind

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court on Friday dismissed the bail petitions of the main accused in the Banphoolpura riots case, Abdul Malik, his son Abdul Moeed and driver Mohammad Zaheer, and directed them to file bail plea in a lower court.A bench consisting of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari had recently concluded the hearing and reserved the judgment in the bail matter, which was pronounced on Friday.The prosecution contended that chargesheets against the three were already submitted in lower court, and hence they ought to seek bail there. The defendants requested the bench to adjudicate the matter instead of the sessions court.The lower court was also instructed to scrutinise the chargesheet and other documents before taking a decision. The HC also emphasised reviewing previous orders before passing a new one.According to the case, on Feb 8, 2024, conspirators, along with encroachers and others, assaulted the administration officials and police team with stones, carried out arson and fired from guns during an operation to remove encroachments in Banphoolpura area of Haldwani.The rioters surrounded the police station and fired shots, resulting in several fatalities and over 100 injuries.Following an investigation, police apprehended over alleged 100 rioters, including mastermind Abdul Malik. In his bail application, the accused maintained that he was in Delhi on the day of the incident and was falsely implicated in the case.Malik contended that a false case was filed against him without committing any crime, and hence he should be granted bail. He was already granted bail by a single bench of the HC in an encroachment case. His bail application in HC was argued by Supreme Court advocate Salman Khurshid.END