The Sessions Court, on Monday, granted regular bail to 80 accused in the Mahal riot case. Sessions Judge A R Kulkarni approved the bail on a surety bond of Rs 1 lakh each. These 80 people include local residents from Mahal, Gandhi Gate, Bhaldarpura, Mominpura, Gandhibag, Sanjay Bagh Colony and nearby areas. Most of the accused persons are between 20 and 45 years of age. The bail decision was reserved by the court on June 26 and was announced on July 1. However, the bail application of the alleged mastermind and Minority Democratic Party’s City President Fahim Khan Shamin Khan will be heard separately on July 4.

 

The Government lawyer told the court that Fahim Khan’s provocative WhatsApp messages and videos led to tension between two communities, which later turned into violence. An FIR was registered against him on March 18 by Ganeshpeth Police under charges including sedition, based on a complaint by Assistant Police Inspector Jitendra Gade. On the other hand, defense lawyers argued that the incident occurred due to the delay in registering Fahim’s complaint, which had hurt the religious feelings of a community. According to him, the anger was directed at the police, not against the Hindu community.

 

He also pointed out that Fahim was not present at the scene and no objectionable material was found in his possession. Since the Government side needs to present more information, the court allowed more time and scheduled Fahim Khan’s bail hearing for July 4. The court has put certain conditions on the 80 accused who were granted bail. They must appear at Ganeshpeth Police Station every Tuesday and Friday between 11 am and 2 pm. District Government Pleader Nitin Telgote represented the State, while Adv Ramesh Rawlani, Adv Atul Rawlani, Adv A K Bhangde, Adv Rafique Akbani, Adv Smita Adikane, Adv Ashwin Ingole appeared for the defense.