Court should also grant bail to ordinary accused, says Lone

People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone on Tuesday said the courts should grant bail to ordinary accused persons as they are doing in case of Baramulla Lok Sabha member Sheikh Abdul Rashid.

“My hand-folded requests to the court in Delhi. Please can you show the same magnanimity in extending bail or giving bail as you are showing in the case of a VIP accused. A serving MP,” Lone posted on X.

He was commenting on a Delhi court extending interim bail to Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, who is an accused in a terror funding case, till October 28.

“Two people died in jail in similar or same cases. No bail was granted. Most of the other accused are old, have multiple diseases. And they too need some relief.

“They have families too. They have domestic issues too. They are humans too,” Lone said.

The MLA-elect from Handwara said the onus of measuring up to the highest judicial standards and fairness falls on the courts in question and the investigating agencies.

“Similar magnanimity needs to be replicated by the courts. The investigation agencies are not contesting the extension of bail. They need to show similar compassion for other accused,” he said, adding, “Let there be no two sets of rules. Let the same rules apply to all.”