Dalit labor activist Nodeep Kaur, who was arrested in January by Haryana police on charges of extortion and attempted murder, was released after he was released on bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday. Kaur’s request for bail was filed in the court of Judge Avneesh Jhingan.
Apart from the guarantee statement, the HC also had learned suo-moto after receiving an email about Kaur’s alleged illegal confinement by the Haryana police.
Kaur, currently housed in Karnal prison, alleged before the HC through her lawyer, the defenders RS Cheema, Arshdeep Singh Cheema and Harinder Deep Singh Bains, that she had been falsely processed as a defendant in the FIR dated January 12, registered at Kundli Police Station in Sonipat.
On Friday, Kaur’s lawyers argued that IPC 307 (attempted murder) and other serious sections were not made.
In her petition, Kaur, a member of Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, claimed that she was “a target and a false implication” in the case, as it managed to generate massive support for the ongoing farmers movement against the Center’s three new farm laws.
She also claimed that she was physically assaulted in police and judicial custody after his arrest by Sonipat police in January. Furthermore, he claimed that his medical examination was not carried out, in violation of section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
In court, the Haryana police had denied the accusations, saying that Kaur had not raised any such matter with the doctor or with the superior judicial magistrate (CJM). The police also claimed that Kaur had made a “proactive speech” saying that they would “attack the police” prior to his arrest.
Judge Avneesh Jhingan had Wednesday adjourned the hearing on bail today after Haryana police failed to submit a medical report to the court. “She (Kaur) was examined by a doctor, but the State has not registered such a report, but only a medical-legal report has been registered under Section 54 CrPC,” Judge Avneesh Jhingan said.
Kaur, 24, is charged in three cases, including attempted murder and extortion. He has already been released on bail in the other two cases. Defender Cheema said the trial court had already accepted her bail declaration in the other two FIRs, numbered 649 and 26. On Friday, HC granted Kaur bail in the 25th FIR, which is also registered in PS Kundli.
Nodeep’s sister Rajvir had told her earlier The Indian Express: “Nodeep joined the (farmers’) protest in Singhu in November. He also fought for workers who did not receive regular wages. On January 12, she was protesting near a factory in Kundli when the police stopped her … I met her and she told me that the police attacked her while she was in custody.
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