Jantar Mantar Sloganeering Case: Organiser of Event Preet Singh Gets Bail

Preet Singh asserted that demanding a Hindu nation did not attract Section 153A (hate speech) of the IPC.

Singh is accused of creating enmity between different groups and inciting people to propagate against a particular community at a rally held at Jantar Mantar. Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo: Twitter/AshwiniUpadhyay)

The Delhi High Court on Friday, 24 September, granted bail to Preet Singh, who was one of the organisers of the Jantar Mantar event where incendiary slogans were raised against the Muslim community on 8 August.

Justice Mukta Gupta said, “The petition is allowed. The petitioner has been granted bail”, news agency PTI reported.

Singh is accused of creating enmity between different groups and inciting people to propagate against a particular community at a rally held at Jantar Mantar.

Singh however, has claimed in his plea filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, that he was “not involved in giving any inflammatory speech or raising any slogan against any person or community”, PTI reported.

Moreover, he asserted that demanding a Hindu nation did not attract Section 153A (hate speech) of the IPC.

Delhi Police through advocate Tarang Srivastav opposed the bail plea and submitted that in the interest of society, at least till the time investigation is ongoing and even after that, for the social fabric of the society, bail may not be granted, news agency ANI reported.

Singh had also claimed that he was not present at the site at the time of sloganeering. He was remanded to judicial custody on 10 August after his arrest.

On 27 August, Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil had refused bail to Singh, saying that though the right to assemble and freedom to air one's thoughts are cherished under the Constitution, these are not absolute and have to be exercised with inherent reasonable restrictions.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)