The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu in connection with a case against him for allegedly sending a faulty list of buses to the State government to ply migrant workers home.
Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi granted bail to Mr. Lallu on furnishing a personal bond with two sureties. He has been in jail since May 21.
While passing the order, the court reminded the government and the Opposition that both were bound by “duty to deliver more solutions to the public grievances than conflicts”.
The court said it was “disturbing” that the government and a political party having some representation in the State (Congress) “are at loggerheads on an issue which has no legal sanctity”.
“The court would simply caution that the outbreak of COVID-19 calls for a unified efforts by all to curb the sufferings of people instead of ragging up issues to serve none”, Justice Masoodi said.
The court noted that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers had “solicited monetary support from public” in a bid to control COVID-19, there was no appeal for any other service in the nature of transport services.
“Thus, there was no occasion for any voluntary organisation or a political organisation to have offered transport services or any other service not solicited by the Prime Minister or Chief Ministers of the State”, it said.
Arrest
Mr. Lallu, two-time MLA from Tamkuhi Raj, was arrested on May 20 in Agra for protesting against the local administration’s refusal to allow buses arranged by the Congress from Rajasthan to ply into U.P. to transport stranded migrant workers home. Though he was granted interim bail by an Agra court, he was soon arrested again by the Lucknow police on charges of allegedly sending a faulty list of buses to the U.P. government and alleged forgery of documents. The FIR was lodged under Sections 182, 420, 467 and 468 of the Indian Penal Code on a complaint from the RTO Lucknow. He was then sent to 14 days judicial custody. A special MP-MLA court on June 1 denied him bail.
Opposing his bail in the High Court, additional advocate general Anurag Verma argued that the investigation in the case was at a nascent stage
