New Delhi [India], February 25 : Patiala House Court on Wednesday extended the police custody of five accused associated with the Indian Youth Congress for an additional four days in connection with the AI Summit protest case. The accused are scheduled to be produced in court on March 1. They were presented before the court following their police custody.
Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Mridul Gupta extended the police custody of accused Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar, Narsimha Yadav, and Jitendra Yadav.
Delhi Police had requested an additional five days of custody for the accused.
The police stated that the accused Udai Bhanu Chib has been arrested, while the other suspects are yet to be apprehended. They added that further custody is needed to confront the remaining accused with Udai Bhanu Chib and Bhudev Sharma.
Authorities also mentioned that T-shirts related to the protest were printed in bulk quantities. One individual, Ramesh Chand Aggarwal, whose anticipatory bail was recently denied by the Sessions Court, disclosed that he sold T-shirts worth Rs 1 lakh to the Indian Youth Congress. Additionally, another person has been arrested from Himachal Pradesh.
During the hearing, the court questioned the need for five days of police custody. Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Shrivastav submitted that several suspects are scattered across different locations.
In their application, the police stated that multiple individuals, including Manish Sharma, are absconding and must be arrested.
Counsel for the accused opposed the remand request, arguing that custody was sought only for the recovery of T-shirts. Police, however, maintained that custody is required not merely for the recovery of T-shirts but also to confront several individuals from across the country, including the North East, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and other states.
The police stated that five more days of custody are necessary, adding that multiple mobile phones have been recovered and their forensic analysis is being done.
Counsel for the accused opposed the extension, arguing that the custody was sought only for the recovery of T-shirts and that no significant harm had occurred requiring further remand.
Delhi Police maintained that several individuals from different parts of the country still need to be confronted, and the investigation would take a long time.
The Delhi Police highlighted that the case, transferred to the Crime Branch on Tuesday, is part of a pan-India conspiracy involving multiple accused and evidence that still needs to be examined.
The arrested individuals are connected to the protest by Indian Youth Congress workers at the AI Impact Summit on February 20. Police have alleged that Udai Bhanu Chib, President of the Indian Youth Congress, was the mastermind behind the protest, remaining behind the scenes while executing the plan. He was in contact with the other accused.
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