2019 City Grenade Blast Accused Granted Bail by Gauhati HC

GUWAHATI: Bail was granted by the Gauhati high court to a person arrested in connection with the incident of a grenade blast in the city in 2019.

The accused had been charged as a member of the proscribed ULFA (I) by the NIA last year and subsequently denied bail by the NIA special court.

Overturning the decision of the special NIA court in rejecting the bail application of the accused, the bench of Justices N Kotiswar Singh and Susmita Phukan Khaund, while hearing a plea of accused Prakash Rajkonwar, stated that it could not agree with the finding of the special judge that there are "reasonable grounds for believing that the accusations made against the accused are prima facie true."

Senior advocate Angshuman Bora, counsel for Prakash Rajkonwar, stated that he was arrested in connection with a case which was registered at the city's Geetanagar police station. The case was later transferred to the NIA and re-registered on June 26, 2019.

Bora said that on December 8, 2020, the special judge had rejected Rajkonwar's bail petition on the grounds that an analysis of the materials and the case diary had revealed that there was a reasonable ground for believing that the accusation against the appellant to be prima facie true and that the appellant was giving support to banned organisation ULFA(I).

In 2021, Rajkonwar had challenged the special judge's order at the Gauhati High Court.

The high court bench has now stated that although the communication made by Rajkonwar can be termed as provocative and tended to support separation, it does not however mention Ulfa nor is there any mention of any violent overthrow of the Indian government through the use of arms.

The court also added that the said chats submitted as evidence do not point to any clear support for the Ulfa, even though the seditious tendency of the author is certainly indicated in the chat.

Rajkonwar was, therefore, directed by the court to be released on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of a similar amount.

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