Sambhal , Apr 02, 2025, IANS

Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh), April 2 (IANS) The bail hearing for Zafar Ali, President of Shahi Jama Masjid Committee in UP's Sambhal, was postponed to April 4 "due to the unavailability of the case diary". Ali was arrested on March 23. He had his bail plea initially scheduled for a hearing on March 27. However, Judge Nirbhay Narayan Rai of the ADJ-II court in Chandausi rejected his request for interim bail and set April 2 as the date for hearing his regular bail application. During the hearing, Ali’s defence counsel sought interim bail, citing the absence of the case diary. In response, Additional District Government Advocate Hariom Prakash Saini argued that since Ali’s interim bail had been previously rejected, the court should dismiss the new plea as well. The court agreed with this argument and dismissed the interim bail request. It then instructed the prosecution to submit the case diary by April 4, when the next hearing will be held. Ali's arrest followed questioning about his involvement in the November 24 violence in Sambhal, which occurred during protests against a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque. On the same day, a Chandausi court rejected Ali's bail plea and sent him to judicial custody in Moradabad Jail for two days. Ali faces multiple charges, including rioting, obstructing public servants, promoting enmity between different groups, and fabricating false evidence. He is also charged under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The accused has denied all charges, maintaining that he has been falsely implicated. Ali’s elder brother, Tahir Ali, claimed the police deliberately imprisoned Zafar before a judicial panel could record his testimony. The Uttar Pradesh government had set up the panel to investigate the violence, which resulted in four deaths and several injuries during the protests over the mosque survey. The controversy surrounding the Mughal-era mosque stems from a petition asserting it was originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple. The violence erupted on November 24, 2024, in Sambhal’s Kot Garvi locality, during the survey of the mosque.