Pregnant Student Safoora Zargar denied bail third time, Ali Fazal tweets in support of her release

News: Bollywood actor Ali Fazal has appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the living conditions of Jamia Milia student Safoora Zargar who is lodged in Tihar jail. The Patiala House Court once again denied bail to pregnant Jamia Millia Islamia student Safoora Zargar, in a case related to the communal violence in North East Delhi.

Here are five components of the story:

• Fazal is among one of the first celebrities to speak up in support of Zargar, or any of the numerous activists who have been arrested under the stringent and highly criticised UAPA. He urged Prime Minister Modi to “reconsider her living condition during this crisis”.

• Zargar has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The prosecution has alleged that she made an “inflammatory speech” on February 23 that led to violence and rioting in North East Delhi.
• While dismissing the bail petition, Judge Dharmendra Rana said: “When you choose to play with embers, you cannot blame the wind to have carried the spark a bit too far and spread the fire. The acts and inflammatory speeches of the co-conspirators are admissible u/s 10 of the Indian Evidence even against the applicant/accused.”
• Zargar’s lawyers also appealed for bail on humanitarian grounds, given that she is 21 weeks pregnant and reportedly suffering from Poly Cystic Ovarian Disorder. The COVID-19 crisis makes he very vulnerable to health problems, and inmates in all three jails in Delhi have been infected by the coronavirus.
• While dismissing her bail plea, the judge asked the concerned jail superintendent to provide adequate medical aid and assistance to the accused.