High-Stakes Showdown: Delhi High Court's Crucial Bail Decision in Parliament Security Breach

The Delhi High Court is poised to make a pivotal decision on July 2 concerning the bail pleas of Neelam Azad and Mahesh Kumawat, implicated in the December 2023 Parliament security breach. A previous order by a lower court denying bail has been contested by the defendants, who argue against the applicability of UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) provisions to their actions.

A sensational protest on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack saw accused Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D allegedly infiltrate the Lok Sabha chamber, deploying yellow gas and vocalizing slogans before being restrained. Associated defendants, Amol Shinde and Azad, were purportedly engaged in using colored gas outside Parliament as a statement against perceived dictatorship.

The prosecution maintains the defendants' actions were calculated to provoke memories of the 2001 terror attack, suggesting collaboration with known terrorist entities. Meanwhile, the court has sought clarity on whether the defendants' actions qualify as terrorist activities under the UAPA, given the lack of physical explosives or manifest intent to cause harm within Parliament premises.

(With inputs from agencies.)