Hours after a local court in West Bengal ordered custody of 16 individuals involved in the violence that broke out during the NEET protest march in Kolkata on Friday, the the City Sessions Court at Bankshall upturned its earlier ruling following a Supreme Court directive.
The judge revoked its earlier judicial custody order and granted bail to the 16 accused.
When the accused were produced in court on Sunday, they were remanded to two days of police custody. On Tuesday, they were again produced before the court. The police sought judicial custody, which the judge initially granted.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court bench led by Justice Surya Kant ruled that any protesters under the age of eighteen, as well as those with no prior criminal record, must be released immediately. The apex court further stated that no action could be taken based on the FIRs filed against the protesters.
Upon receiving this directive, the lawyer representing the individuals arrested in the Dharmatala incident renewed the bail plea. Although none of those arrested in connection with the unrest in Kolkata were minors, the police indicated that the state did not wish to keep the accused in custody.
Consequently, Sessions court reversed its decision on judicial custody and granted bail to the accused upon furnishing a bond of Rs 500.
Friday’s protest had been organised by Left student organisations over the alleged NEET paper leak and was later joined by supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The protesters had demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and justice for students who allegedly faced police excesses during protests.
The rally, which began from Sealdah and proceeded towards Dorina Crossing, later turned violent, with journalists and police personnel allegedly being attacked with stones, shoes and water bottles.
In the aftermath of the violence, police arrested 16 individuals in connection with the violence. The investigators even alleged that some of the accused were outsiders with previous criminal records and were not students.