Jailed Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan activist Nodeep Kaur on Thursday got bail in connection with an extortion case, reported The Tribune. However, Kaur, who has been in custody for a month for protesting against the new farm laws, will remain in prison for two more cases against her.
Superintendent of Police Jashandeep Singh Randhawa confirmed that the court had accepted the activist’s bail plea in the case.
The extortion case was registered at Kundli police station on December 28. The case in which she has been granted bail pertains to an incident in December when she along with protestors from her organisation had gheraoed an industrial unit, demanding wages for workers, reported The Quint. The police has claimed that Kaur and her associates had indulged in violence and attacked officials present at the site to control the situation.
Kaur was arrested on January 12, and produced before a magistrate court that sent her to judicial custody. The charges against the activist include Indian Penal Code Sections 384 (extortion), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), and 149 (unlawful assembly), according to The Tribune. The two other cases were also registered against her on January 12.
On February 3, Kaur was denied bail by a Sessions Court in Sonipat, Haryana. The family of the jailed activist had said they will move the High Court of Punjab and Haryana for her release. They have alleged that she was sexually assault by the police. However, the police have refuted these claims.
The arrest and the alleged torture of Kaur gained attention last week after Meena Harris, the niece of United States Vice President Kamala Harris, tweeted about her. “Weird to see a photo of yourself burned by an extremist mob but imagine what they would do if we lived in India,” Meena Harris tweeted. “I’ll tell you—23 year labor rights activist Nodeep Kaur was arrested, tortured and sexually assaulted in police custody. She’s been detained without bail for over 20 days.”
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said two former ex-servicemen booked for the Republic Day tractor rally were also granted bail. “Happy to learn that after Nodeep Kaur was granted bail in one case, two ex-servicemen Gurmukh Singh Ji (Sangrur) and Jeet Singh Ji (FatehgarhSahib), booked in January 26 incident, have also got bail today due to the efforts of DSGMC [Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee] legal team,” she tweeted.
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Family of jailed activist Nodeep Kaur to move HC seeking her release
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