"Show me anything or any law that prohibits such gathering... Where is the violence? Who says you cannot protest...have you read the Constitution? It is one's Constitutional right to protest. You are behaving as if Jama Masjid was Pakistan and even if it was Pakistan, you can go there and protest. Pakistan was a part of undivided India," said Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau while hearing the bail plea filed by Azad through his counsel Mehmood Paracha.
Slamming the police for having no evidence, the judge said, "Do you think Delhi Police is so backward that it has no tools to record anything?"
The court's flak came after police officials told the court that they have only drone images of the gathering as evidence and no other recording.
In his bail plea, Azad has said that there was no evidence against him in the FIR which states that he had instigated the crowd to march to Delhi Gate from Jama Masjid and indulge in violence.
"No motive has been attributed to the accused in the present FIR, and all charges have been added mechanically," the plea said.
He further claimed that he suffers from severe physical disability, and it cannot be comprehended that he could at all influence any witnesses whatsoever. It is to be considered that all the material witnesses in the incident are police officials, and therefore it is further unlikely that any witness tampering will be attempted by any individual.
Azad further stated that he undertakes to comply with any condition imposed by the court necessary for grant of bail.
( With inputs from IANS )