Deep Sidhu Gets Bail in ASI FIR, Court Calls Arrest ‘Sinister’

The court called the second arrest ‘a grave affront to personal liberty’.

Actor Deep Sidhu is an accused in the violence on Republic Day during a farmers tractor rally.

(Photo: PTI)

Punjabi actor-turned activist Deep Sidhu was on Monday, 26 April, granted bail in the second FIR registered against him on the complaint filed by Archaeological Survey of India alleging damage to Red Fort and vandalism by rioters during the farmers tractor rally on Republic Day, 2021.

Sidhu was arrested in the ASI FIR on 17 April, just a day after he got bail in the FIR over the Red Fort violence. Sidhu had first been arrested on 9 February.

He was granted bail on Monday subject to furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with one surety of the same amount, reported LiveLaw.

While granting bail, the court observed that Sidhu’s continued incarceration would not bear any fruit “and therefore would be unjustified”, adding that his freedom would be detrimental to the investigation either.

“The accused has already been interrogated in PC (police custody) for 14 days and has been in custody for about 70 days when he has been granted regular bail by Ld. ASJ (learned additional sessions judge) on similar facts. Any further restraint upon his liberty would be neither logical nor legal (sic),” the court said.

The court said that Sidhu’s arrest in the ASI FIR clearly suggested that “it was an attempt to defeat the bail order” in the first FIR and was “a grave affront to personal liberty”.

"Such vicious and sinister action of investigative authorities amounts to playing fraud with established criminal (justice) process and shows scant regard to constitutional protections enshrined, protected and cherished under the Constitution on India (sic)," the court added, according to Bar & Bench.

On 19 April, the court had dismissed a plea by the Delhi Police seeking four days’ police remand of Sidhu, in connection with this FIR. However, the court had sent him to 14-days’ judicial custody.

(With inputs from LiveLaw and Bar & Bench.)