Sambhal: A court here has rejected the interim bail plea of Zafar Ali, the Sadar of Sambhal Jama Masjid, who has been in jail since March 23 on charges of inciting riots. His regular bail application is scheduled for a hearing on April 2.
The rejection of his bail has sparked unrest among the legal fraternity, with district advocates expressing strong opposition. On Thursday, lawyers limited their work to focus solely on Zafar Ali’s bail proceedings.
The bail plea was heard in the court of Additional District Judge Nirbhay Narayan Rai. Zafar Ali’s counsel, Asif Akhtar, argued that the alleged Sambhal violence incident occurred at 9 AM on November 24, 2024. The prosecution contends that a survey of the Jama Masjid was underway when a crowd of 700-800 people gathered, attempting to disrupt the process. However, Akhtar pointed out that Zafar Ali’s name was not mentioned in the FIR, and he had fully cooperated with the police.
The only accusation against him, according to his defence, is that he addressed a press conference on November 25, 2024, where he highlighted certain lapses by administrative officials regarding the incident. His legal team argues that making statements in a press conference does not constitute fabricating evidence. The bail plea also alleges that administrative officials pressured Zafar Ali to change his statement.
Furthermore, the application states that Zafar Ali was scheduled to testify before the judicial commission on March 24, 2025, but was arrested a day before.
His lawyers highlighted that he is 70 years old, a practicing advocate, and suffers from heart disease. Despite these considerations, his interim bail application was denied.