After spending more than 100 days in jail, bangle seller Taslim Ali, who was assaulted by a Hindutva mob in Indore, got bail from the Madhya Pradesh high court on Tuesday.
A cross FIR came after his complaint of being brutally assaulted and looted by the Hindu mob and Ali had been arrested on August 23 on the charge of “outraging modesty.”
“The nature of accusation is not such which leads to a conclusion that (the) applicant should remain in custody till (the) decision of the matter. No criminal antecedents of the applicant could be shown to this court. There is no material to show that the applicant was instrumental in threatening the person or complainants. Considering the nature of the accusation and in absence of any criminal record, I deem it proper to enlarge the applicant on bail,” Indian Express quotes the court as observing while granting the bail.
“The high court’s bail order has once again proved that the constitution is supreme in the country. This is a victory of the constitution,” Ali’s lawyer Ehtesham Hashmi told reporters.
Video of Tasleem attacked by Bajrang Dal activists became viral on social media gaining public outcry across the nation. Tasleem Ali, the father of five, could be seen thrashed mercilessly by the Hindutva group who are angered by the Muslim man “meeting their wives and daughters.”
Tasleem Ali had said that the Hindutva men broke his cellphone, and took approximately Rs 10,000 cash, and broke his bangles worth Rs 25,000.
While Taslim was in Jail, his attackers were released on bail. Four Hindutva men were arrested after the public outcry against the hate crime.
Soon after the arrests of Hindutva men, a large crowd had gathered outside the police office demanding the release of four men. Genocidal calls were raised at the gathering outside the Deputy Inspector General’s office in Indore.
Jamal Ali, the younger brother of Tasleem Ali earlier told Maktoob that he was stopped from visiting his brother outside Banganga Police Station. He also alleged that the cops refused to give information about Tasleem Ali’s whereabouts.
