The Uttarakhand High Court has turned down anticipatory bail applications filed by BJP leader Madan Mohan Joshi and others facing allegations of a planned conspiracy to incite communal unrest in the Ramnagar region of Nainital district.
A division bench of Chief Justice G Narendra and Justice Subhash Upadhyay delivered the order on Monday, refusing to grant protection from arrest to Joshi, who is a local BJP figure from Ramnagar, along with multiple co-accused. The bench also scheduled December 8 as the next date of hearing for several connected petitions and directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Nainital, to remain present in court on that date.
During the hearing, counsel representing the other accused informed the court that their clients were prepared to surrender. They sought permission to withdraw their anticipatory bail petitions in view of this decision. The bench recorded their submission.
The matter stems from an incident on October 23 in the Chhoi locality of Ramnagar, where a man named Nasir was allegedly assaulted for purportedly transporting beef. Following the incident, his wife Noorjahan approached the High Court seeking protection from law enforcement authorities.
In her plea, she alleged that BJP leader Madan Mohan Joshi was regularly uploading inflammatory posts and Facebook live videos aimed at stoking religious sentiments and justifying his actions linked to the assault on October 23. She claimed that such online activity formed part of a larger premeditated attempt to provoke communal tension.
With the rejection of anticipatory bail, the accused are no longer shielded from arrest as the investigation continues, while the High Court prepares to hear the related petitions next month.
