Day after father's death, activist Natasha Narwal gets three-week bail for last rites

New Delhi: A day after her 71-year-old father succumbed to Covid-19-related complications at a Rohtak hospital, JNU student and anti-CAA activist Natasha Narwal was on Monday granted three weeks' interim bail to be present during her father's funeral and last rites.

Narwal has been accused by the Delhi Police for allegedly "conspiring" to incite the Delhi riots by purportedly organising protests against the controversial CAA.

After her lawyers moved an urgent application before a division bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup J Bhambhani, arguing that her father is only survived by her brother and herself and that his body is awaiting cremation at the hospital, the high court granted the relief. Advocate Adit Pujari, on behalf of Narwal, argued that her mother passed away 15 years ago and his brother is down with Covid and hence she will be the only one conducting her father's cremation.

After the prosecution in the case did not oppose the application for interim bail, the bench noted that "in view of the interest of justice", it is imperative to release the applicant (Narwal) in this "hour of grief and personal loss" and keeping in mind the facts and circumstances of the case. Narwal was given the relief on the condition of furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 to the satisfaction of the Jail Superintendent.

However, during the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Amit Mahajan submitted, "Can the court direct the applicant (Narwal) not to put out tweets that might bend the trial…"

In response, Justice Mridul stated, "How will she do it when she is grieving a personal loss?..."

Advocate Pujari responded that Narwal's mobile phone has already been seized by the police and that the tweets that are put out are by student organisation Pinjra Tod over which she has no control. Thereafter, the court asked Narwal to maintain "radio silence" while she's out on interim bail or else the court might be compelled to rescind the relief.

Her father, Mahavir Narwal, a retired senior scientist from CCS Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar and a senior member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) was hospitalised on May 3 following which his oxygen levels dipped and he was put on a ventilator. He breathed his last on Sunday at around 6 pm. Remembered for being a progressive father who was proud of her daughter's activism, Mahavir's loss was condoled by activists and students alike.

A member of Pinjra Tod who was closely associated with Natasha and her family said the loss is bigger than anyone can imagine. "He was a visionary and way ahead of his time. The way he was proud of his daughter gave each one of us hope," she said.