No bail, hoarding O2 cylinders created havoc, says court

New Delhi: The

hoarding

and black-marketing of

oxygen

cylinders created havoc in recent times during the pandemic and resulted in death of several people who didn’t get it in time, said a sessions court, refusing to grant bail to a man accused of selling

oxygen

cylinders in black.

Additional sessions judge Sudhanshu Kaushik noted, “On the one hand, people were dying because of lack of oxygen while on the other hand, people like the applicant were profiting by hoarding and black-marketing oxygen cylinders. Such people deserve no sympathy and a message needs to be given to the society that people dealing in such activities shall be dealt with an iron hand.”

Accused Manjeet Singh is facing charges of sections 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 34 (common intention) of IPC and relevant provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.

The counsel appearing for Singh contended that keeping him in custody wouldn't serve any purpose as the investigation was complete and his continued incarceration would only amount to a "pre-trial" punishment. Singh, his counsel, submitted had been apprehended from the house of a co-accused, whose wife was Covid-19 positive and the only cylinder recovered from him was meant for her. The same co-accused has been released on interim bail, the counsel pointed out, adding that his client had been implicated in the case.

The additional public prosecutor, on the other hand, argued that during the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation, Singh was involved in black-marketing oxygen cylinders and was found in possession of three such cylinders. It was also contended that Singh did not fall under the guidelines — on the decongestion of jails by grant of bail — issued by the High-Powered Committee of Delhi High Court.