Jharkhand HC bail condition for former MP, 5 others: Deposit ₹35,000 each in PM-CARES, download ‘Arogya Setu’

Jharkhand High Court has allowed bail to a former Member of Parliament and five others on the condition that they shall deposit an amount of Rs 35,000 each in Prime Minister Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) and show proof of payment before the court, reports legal news website LiveLaw.in.

While delivering the order, Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary also directed the petitioners to download the 'Arogya Setu App' immediately after getting released from custody and abide bythe directions of the central government as well as the state government issued in connection with containment of COVID-19 pandemic.

Additional Public Prosecutor Rakesh Kumar Sinha informed that the six petitioners, namely BJP's former MP Som Marandi, Vivekanand Tiwari Amit Agrawal, Hisabi Rai, Sanchay Bardhan and Anugrah Narayan, were booked for staging a 'rail roko' agitation on March 15, 2012 in Pakur district of Jharkhand. The railway judicial magistrate had convicted the petitioners to one year imprisonment under section 174 (a) of Railways Act.

The petitioners had appealed before the session court, which was dismissed. They later filed a criminal revision petition before the High Court for setting aside the session court's order. They were under custody since last February.

The counsel for the petitioners submitted that the petitioners shall abide by any condition that may be put by this court including any contribution in 'Prime Minister's Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund' created for the purposes of dealing with COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the order the court also asked the petitioners to submit self-attested copy of their Aadhar cards and also give their mobile number before the learned court below which they would not change during the pendency of this case without prior permission of the court, says the report published by LiveLaw.in.