HC grants bail to 14 accused in Mira Road riot case

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Monday granted bail to 14 accused in the Mira Road riot case, linked to the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration ceremony. Justice NJ Jamadar noted that the 14 residents of Mira Bhayander had been in custody since January 2024 and that an early conclusion of the trial was unlikely. The court also noted that, based on CCTV footage, only a few of the arrested individuals could be clearly identified.

The rioting reportedly started when Vinod Jaiswal, a Bhayander resident, along with his family and friends, were returning from a religious event in a convoy of cars, bikes and scooters, with saffron flags. As they passed through a predominantly Muslim area at Lodha Road, a mob of 50-60 people, armed with rods, sticks, batteries, and weighing scales, allegedly surrounded the convoy. Police later claimed that the vehicles were damaged, and Jaiswal and his relatives were assaulted.

Following the attack, Jaiswal lodged a complaint at the local police station, resulting in the arrest of 14 persons, after test identification parades. The accused maintained that the incident was not premeditated but occurred spontaneously. They argued that simply being present at the scene did not imply involvement and questioned the two-month delay in conducting the identification parade.

The court observed that Jaiswal and his relatives appeared to have suffered minor injuries. While acknowledging the possibility of an unlawful assembly, the court refrained from commenting on the legal validity of the ‘attempt to murder’ charges. It also held that the credibility of the delayed identification parade was a matter for the trial court to determine.