Justice CS Dias granted them bail after noting that they have been in judicial custody for a month, the investigation was practically complete and no recovery remained to be effected.
Interestingly, before arriving at the decision, the Court interacted with the accused students and their parents in the presence of their counsel as well as the public prosecutor.
“The petitioners assured this court that they would regularly attend their classes, obey their parents and undergo counselling to have a transformation in their attitude and mindset,” the Court recorded in its order granting bail.
Therefore, while granting bail, the Court imposed certain conditions on the students including that they shall attend their college classes regularly and present attendance sheets to the jurisdictional courts on a quarterly basis.
The students were also directed to obey their parents and attend counselling classes as suggested by them. The parents were told that they could contact the District Legal Services Authority for any assistance in this regard.
“Let the order be a reminder to the student outfits of the reformative path that would be in store, if they indulge in such vandalism,” the Court said.
The order was delivered on petitions moved by the seven students who were arrested following a protest on December 11, in which they stopped the Governor’s convoy and detained him while shouting slogans and waving black flags.
They were booked for offences punishable under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as the Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act.
They argued that they are innocent and Section 124 of the IPC was added in the first information report (FIR) merely to harass them.
Section 124 penalises assaulting the President, Governor, etc with the intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power.
Source: Barandbench
