Allahabad HC Grants Bail To Sambhal Mosque Committee Chief Accused Of Mob Violence
The incident, which unfolded during a civil court-ordered inspection of a mosque in Sambhal, saw a crowd of 700-800 people reportedly damage public property
The Allahabad High Court on July 24 granted bail to Zafar Ali, the chairman of the Sambhal Jama Masjid Committee, who was accused of playing a key role in a violent mob protest that disrupted a court-mandated mosque survey in November 2024.
The incident, which unfolded during a civil court-ordered inspection of a mosque in Sambhal, saw a crowd of 700-800 people reportedly damage public property, including police vehicles. Though the FIR named other individuals as primary instigators, Ali was not originally listed as an accused.
However, following his public allegations against the police over unrelated deaths during earlier unrest in Sambhal, Ali was arrested on March 23 this year after appearing before the police in response to a statutory notice. He was subsequently booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 230 and 231, which carry the possibility of life imprisonment.
The bench of Justice Sameer Jain questioned the strength of the evidence against Ali, noting that while the prosecution claimed he was 'instrumental" in the protest due to his position in the mosque committee, there was no material on record proving he took part in the violence.
Ali's counsel argued that he was being targeted for publicly holding the police accountable for the deaths of four individuals during unrest in March 2025. The court appeared to take this into account, observing that the inclusion of graver charges appeared to follow Ali's public statements, rather than being based on fresh evidence.
The co-accused named in the FIR, including Zia-Ur-Rahman Barq, were not arrested following a prior order of the high court, applying the Supreme Court's Arnesh Kumar guidelines. Another accused, Suhail Iqbal, was cleared during investigation.
The prosecution could not provide cogent evidence linking Ali to the offences under Sections 230 and 231 BNS. The judge noted that the allegations were largely verbal and unsupported by admissible material.
Given that Ali had been in custody for over four months and the charge sheet had already been filed, the court granted bail, stating that continued detention would serve no purpose and that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Ali has been released on personal bond and two sureties, subject to conditions restraining him from tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses. The court clarified that its findings were limited to the bail matter and would not affect the ongoing trial.
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