Allahabad High Court Grants Bail in Asaduddin Owaisi’s Car Shooting Case
Credit: Live Low
03.05.2024: The Allahabad High Court has recently granted bail to two individuals accused of firing shots at Lok Sabha Member of Parliament and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s vehicle during the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2022. Justice Pankaj Bhatia, in his ruling, stated that the accused, Sachin Sharma and Subham Gurjar, were not initially named in the First Information Report (FIR). They were implicated based solely on the Investigating Officer’s opinion after reviewing CCTV footage.
The court noted that the evidence connecting the applicants to the alleged offence was prima facie weak. It pointed out gaps in verifying the identity of individuals seen in the CCTV footage with actual photographs, which were absent from the case diary. Additionally, the court mentioned that the accused’s names did not surface in three recorded statements, and neither the victim nor the individuals accompanying him in the car recognized the accused.
Despite an intervention application from the victim’s lawyer, citing one accused’s lack of remorse and refusal to apologize after a previous bail grant, the court deemed this as speech or an interview given to the media, lacking substantial evidence of a direct threat.
The incident, where gunshots were fired at Asaduddin Owaisi’s car, occurred in Pilkhuwa, Hapur district, during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. This development highlights legal intricacies and ongoing debates surrounding the case.