In the Parliament security breach case, the High Court has rejected the plea filed by the accused Neelam Azad seeking release
On January 3, Neelam Azad, an accused in the December 13 Parliament security breach case, filed a petition with the Delhi High Court requesting her release on the grounds of a claimed improper police remand. The appeal was denied. The High Court determined that the petition could not be maintained, citing Ms. Azad’s prior submission of a bail application to a trial court.
On December 13, the Delhi Police detained Neelam Azad, a native of Gasho Khurd village in Jind, Haryana, on suspicion of her involvement in the incident involving four people who sprayed colored gas and yelled slogans outside the Lok Sabha. Her remand in police custody until January 5 had been ordered by the trial court.
In her habeas corpus plea, Ms. Azad claimed that the remand order was illegal because it had violated her fundamental right to counsel of her choice. Nonetheless, the High Court did not discover any evidence that Ms. Azad’s fundamental rights had been violated.
The Delhi Police attorney objected to the plea, claiming that Ms. Azad had already filed a bail request with the trial court and was detained by the police until January 5. Ms. Azad brought up the delay in obtaining legal counsel in her bail request before the trial court. She asserted that this forced her to choose between being represented by the court-provided legal aid or doing it alone. The plea also stated that her case was impacted since she was unable to speak with her attorney about the specifics of her arrest.