Senior advocate and activist Mohammad Shoaib was granted bail by a Lucknow court on Wednesday in connection with the violence in the state capital during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on December 19.
His wife Malka Bi told The Hindu that the septuagenarian had secured bail.
Mr. Shoaib heads the Rihai Manch, an organization with which he has helped acquit more than a dozen persons "falsely" implicated in terror cases, bringing him under police radar several times. In 2008, he was also brutally assaulted by fellow lawyers in Lucknow and Faizabad, in the court compound as they did not want him appearing for terror accused persons. Mr. Shoaib was among more than 1,240 persons arrested by the UP police over the violent protests in the state.
According to the FIR lodged at Hazratganj police station on December 19, Mr. Shoaib faces several serious charges like rioting, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, even though his name does not feature in it. The police, however, had alleged the outfit instigated the violence and named it in the FIR along with the Popular Front of India, AISA and BAMCEF, among others.
In its submission before the Allahabad High Court, which was hearing a habeas corpus writ filed on behalf of Mr. Shoaib, the additional government advocate recently quoted police records to say that he was arrested at 8:45 a.m. on December 20 from the Hotel Clarks Avadh intersection, a couple of kms away from the advocate's residence.
The contention as rubbished by the lawyer's family. Ms. Malka alleged foul play in the police version as her husband didn't even attend the protest and was under house arrest.
"When a person was at home, how can he be part of a riot? Police said they found him near Clark Avadh. If he is in police custody how can he reach Clark Avadh," she asked recently while talking to The Hindu.
Teacher and activist Robin Verma, who works with Mr. Shoaib, was released on bail from jail on Tuesday.
