Police say will file charges in 2 weeks; Delhi HC asks if bail can be heard after

New Delhi: The The Delhi High Court on Monday asked Pinjra Tod member Natasha Narwal to consider if she wishes her bail application to be heard after two weeks, when the police will likely have filed a chargesheet for her alleged role in one of the north-east Delhi riots cases.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru noted that the police had two weeks' time left to conclude the investigation in the case and they will have to file the chargesheet by September 17 before the trial court after which the bail plea can be filed there.

The high court was hearing JNU student Narwal's bail plea. She was arrested in May and has challenged a trial court's order denying her the relief.

As far as this petitioner (Narwal) is concerned, a chargesheet will be filed within the time given then you will have the entire material with you which this court has with it right now. We are of the prima facie view that there is evidence against you, the judge orally said during the hearing.

The judge said till now it has perused 20 per cent of the case diary of the police and it was of the prima facie that there is material against Narwal and the material is such which it does not think any court can ignore.

The high court, which said it will go through the case diary in detail, asked advocate Adit S Pujari, appearing for Narwal, to seek instructions from his client and apprise the court about it on Tuesday.

Initially, during the day, the high court conducted a restricted video conferencing hearing in which the counsel representing Delhi Police and the investigating officer of the case were present and the judge perused the case diary. Narwal's counsel was not privy to the details of the case diary.

Narwal and another member of the group Devangana Kalita were arrested in the case in May this year by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including rioting, unlawful assembly and attempt to murder.

They have also been booked under the stringent anti-terror law - Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a separate case related to the communal violence, for allegedly being part of a "premeditated conspiracy" in the riots.