The Delhi High Court on Monday granted bail to one accused and denied relief to another booked for the murder of a Delhi Police head constable during the violence in the Capital in February last year, Live Law reported.

Eleven of the 17 persons accused in the case had filed bail petitions in the Delhi High Court. On September 3, the court had granted bail to five of them. On September 14, the court gave the relief to two of the accused persons and denied bail to two of them.

During Monday’s hearing, Justice Subramonium Prasad allowed the plea of Mohammad Saleem Khan and refused bail to Mohd Ibrahim.

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Clashes had broken out between the supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing it between February 23 and February 26, 2020, in Delhi, claiming 53 lives and injuring hundreds. The majority of those killed were Muslims.

In this case, a First Information Report filed by a Delhi Police constable noted that a violent mob carrying sticks, baseball bats, iron rods and stones had gathered at the main road in the Wazirabad area on the afternoon of February 24, 2020, Live Law reported.

As the crowd became violent, the police used force and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse it. However, the protesters attacked other people as well as police officers, the FIR stated.

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During the clashes, Delhi Police’s Head Constable Ratan Lal, deputy commissioner of police of Shahdara district and assistant commissioner of police of Gokulpuri police station sustained injuries, the FIR mentioned. Lal was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

While granting bail to the other accused persons in the case, the High Court had noted each member of the mob cannot be charged for murder.

The court had also noted that there was lack of electronic evidence to prove the presence of some of those accused in the case.

“It is egregious and against the principles enshrined in our Constitution to allow an accused to remain languishing behind bars during the pendency of the trial,” the court had said, while granting bail to five accused persons earlier this month.