Calcutta High Court grants bail to all 9 arrested for raising 'Justice for RG Kar' slogan at Puja Pandal

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted interim bail to all nine youths arrested by Kolkata Police for raising "Justice for R. G. Kar" slogans at a Durga Puja pandal.

After their arrest on Wednesday evening, the nine were produced before a Kolkata court which sent them to seven days of police custody.

The family members of the nine individuals moved the Calcutta High Court, and a single-judge bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar convened a special hearing on Friday.

After a detailed hearing into the matter, she granted interim bail to them till November 15 against a personal bond of Rs 1,000 for each. However, all of them have to report to the local police stations once a week till that time.

Justice Sarkar also observed that the WhatsApp chats and placards recovered by police from them did not have any hate speech or slogans and they had no intention to hurt any sort of religious sentiments.

She also observed that the act of raising "Justice" slogans at the puja pandal might have been done out of over-enthusiasm by these nine youths aged between 20 and 25 years.

As the information of the nine individuals being granted bail reached the dais at Esplanade in Central Kolkata where six junior doctors are continuing with their fast-unto-death protests, the other protesting junior doctors expressed immense satisfaction over the development.

"These nine youths were unnecessarily harassed and arrested by the police. Their only fault was that they stood by us and protested against the injustice against us. But the truth has prevailed and the Calcutta High Court has granted bail," said Debasish Halder, a lead face of the junior doctors' movement against the gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar in August.