Delhi Court Extends Interim Protection From Arrest To Gangster Turned Activist Lakha Sidhana

BACKGROUND

• The farmers were protesting against the farm laws passed by the central government this year by marching towards the capital and these protests led to the Republic Day violence.
• On January 26, the farmers marched towards the Red Fort during the Tractor Rally and clashed with the policemen and injured many while hosting a religious flag on the dome of Red Fort.
• It was alleged that gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana was the main conspirator behind the violence and he was charged under various sections of IPC such as sec. 147, 148, 332, 307, 308, read with sections 25, 27, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act, 1959 and section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984.

CASE BEFORE THE COURT

• An FIR had been registered by the Crime Branch (Central Delhi) of the Delhi Police against Sidhana concerning Republic Day violence and fearing arrest he had moved Delhi's Tis Hazari court seeking anticipatory bail in the case.
• Earlier the court granted him interim protection till 3 July while dealing with an anticipatory bail application filed by him and the protection was extended till 20 July.
• During the earlier proceedings, the Public Prosecutor Pankaj Bhatia had informed the court that he had invited the protestors to Red Fort and stayed outside the Fort when the violence took place and is the main conspirator.
• The counsel for Sidhana submitted that he had no role to play in the violent incident.

RECENT DEVELOPMENT

• On Thursday, July 22 the Delhi Court further extended interim protection to Sidhana from arrest till 29 July.
• In the earlier proceedings, the court stated that it did not want to start a ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ by arresting every protestor and did not want to intervene in things where fundamental rights were involved while granting protection to him.

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