Noida: A fast-track court in Noida has granted conditional bail to four men — Mukesh Kumar, Om Prakash, Satyendra and Ritesh Yadav — who were named as accused in an FIR registered at Phase II police station on April 23, 10 days after labour unrest in Noida turned violent.While hearing the applications separately, the court noted a common pattern in all four cases. The FIR, lodged on April 23, did not name any of the applicants, while the investigating officer informed the court that the accused originally named in the FIR had not yet been arrested.The court observed that all four men were already in judicial custody before the FIR was filed. Ritesh Yadav was arrested on April 17, Mukesh Kumar on April 19, and Om Prakash and Satyendra on April 22 in separate matters. They were later brought from district jail and implicated in this case.“If the applicant was arrested at the scene, there is no clear reason why his name is not listed in the FIR,” the court observed, adding that the incident allegedly took place on April 13, while the accused were arrested on different dates in unrelated cases.The court also noted that while the FIR alleged hostage-taking of company employees, vandalism and threats of arson, no evidence of arson had surfaced and no injury report had been submitted.Additional sessions judge Satyendra Singh, while allowing their bail pleas, directed the accused to cooperate with the investigation and refrain from influencing witnesses or pressuring the complainant. The court also ordered that they must not engage in any criminal activity in future.The court granted bail to each applicant on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the same amount.During the hearing, counsel for Om Prakash argued that his client had been falsely implicated. The lawyer said Om Prakash was arrested on April 22 under preventive provisions of BNSS (sections 170, 136, 135 and 135(3)) aimed at maintaining public peace and was sent to jail before being summoned in the present case on April 28. The defence further argued that he was neither a worker nor connected to the labour protest.After hearing the arguments, the court ruled that the delay in filing the FIR and the prior incarceration of the accused weighed in favour of granting bail.“The accused is not named in the FIR, which was filed 10 days late. The accused were already incarcerated in the district jail before the FIR was filed. Considering the above facts and circumstances, grounds for bail are sufficient without expressing any opinion on the merits,” the judge said.The four accused have been charged under BNS sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 109(1) (attempt to murder), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 326(g) (mischief causing destruction or damage by fire or explosive substance as part of a pre-planned act).
