Bombay High Court grants bail to 14 accused in Mira Road communal violence case  

Bombay High Court grants bail to 14 Muslim men accused in Mira Road violence, citing lack of evidence.

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to 14 Muslim men arrested for their alleged involvement in the Mira Road communal violence this January. The men were charged with rioting and injuring a Hindu family on the eve of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 21, 2024.  

Noting that their further detention appeared ‘tenuous’, a Single Bench judge, Justice Nijamoodin J. Jamadar observed, “Prima facie, it appears that premeditation or a prior meeting of mind to attack the members of the convoy cannot be inferred as the very entry of the informant party into the said locality was a matter of chance. Prima facie complicity of the applicants is required to be weighed along with other parameters.” The order was delivered on Monday (December 9, 2024).

The accused, booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, moved the High Court after a sessions court denied them bail.  

Disposing of the application, the High court noted, “Evidently, the investigation is complete for all intent and purpose. The applicants appear to have roots in society to tie them down to their place of abode and avocation. The possibility of fleeing away from justice appears remote. In the backdrop of the nature of the offences and the genesis thereof, the possibility of tampering with evidence and threatening the witnesses also appears remote.”  

On January 21, 2024, complainant Vinod Jaiswal along with his family and relatives decided to go for a drive after attending a bhajan event. Saffron flags mounted on their cars, 3 to 4 in numbers, and 10 to 15 two-wheelers, the convoy was moving ahead with slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’. On reaching a particular spot, the group was split due to road traffic jam, so they diverted their route and entered Naya Nagar locality of Mira-Bhayander near Mumbai in Thane district where they were allegedly attacked by a mob of 50 to 60 persons armed with iron rods, sticks, batteries and weighing scales.  

As per the petition, the mob belonged to Muslim faith. The incident happened a day ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The cars and two-wheelers were damaged by the mob and members suffered injuries in the attack.  

Referring to the CCTV footage, the judge said, “Prima facie, it does not appear that the CCTV cameras have captured any of the applicants assaulting the first informant by means of the knife, as alleged, or for that matter, any of the injured witnesses. As regards the injuries suffered by the members of the informant party, prima facie, it appears that the first informant had sustained a laceration over the right cheek and swelling, abrasion and trauma over other parts of the body. All injuries were simple. The rest of the witnesses had sustained simple injuries.”