[Delhi Riots] Delhi Court allows Safoora Zargar to visit hometown; directs her to ‘drop-a-pin’ on Google maps for IO to verify location

Jamia Millia Islamia student Safoora Zargar, who is out on bail in a case related to the Delhi Riots, has been allowed to visit her hometown in Kashmir by a Delhi court [State of NCT of Delhi Vs. Tahir Hussain & ors. (Safoora Zargar)]..Zargar, who was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on June 23, 2020, moved a plea seeking to travel to her hometown Kishtwar that was heard by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat..The Court was urged to allow her to visit her hometown on the ground that she had had her child on October 12, 2020, and that she and her family wished to perform one of the compulsory religious ceremonies known as Aqiqah on the occasion of Eid-ul-Milad, which was stated to be observed on July 20, 2021.As the hometown of both Zargar and her husband happened to be Kishtwar in Kashmir, the ceremony had to be performed there, it was submitted..Zargar, it was stated, had been complying with all other conditions of bail put forth by the Delhi High Court. "The applicant has attended all previous hearings in this case and undertakes to attend all future hearings whether physical or virtual as and when notified,” the Court was informed. The counsel said that Zargar was not a flight risk and was willing to abide by any condition imposed by the Court. It was, therefore, prayed that she should be allowed to visit and stay in Kishtwar so that she can meet her family members, relatives, and extended family members for a month starting July 16, 2021..Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad said that he had no objection to Zargar’s application. He urged the Court to impose appropriate conditions..Delhi violence case attracting stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The Court ultimately held in its order,"The present application has not been opposed by the Prosecution nor is there submissions that any bail conditions have been violated by the applicant so far nor she has violated the norm in attending the court.Considering the submissions on behalf of the applicant, prosecution and the record, the present application of the applicant to visit her home town at Kishtwar, Kashmir is allowed from 16.07.2021 onwards for a period of one month.".Zargar was directed to continue to “diligently observe” all the bail conditions as imposed by the Delhi High Court and to furnish the itinerary of her visit to the investigating officer through the official e-mail. “The applicant will ‘drop-a-pin’ on Google maps, so that the investigating officer can verify the applicant's presence and location,” added the Court..Safoora Zargar was arrested by the Delhi Police earlier in 2020 on the allegation that she delivered inflammatory speeches on February 23 last year at Chand Bagh, which led to violence and rioting in North East Delhi..Her bail was initially rejected by the Sessions Court, which concluded that there was prima facie case against Zargar, and in view of the statutory embargo under Section 43D (5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), bail could not be granted..When you choose to play with embers, you cannot blame the wind: Delhi Court rejects Safoora Zargar's bail plea in Delhi riots case.A few weeks later, she was granted conditional bail by the Delhi High Court, on humanitarian grounds..[Read order]