The Delhi High Court on Monday granted bail to activist Natasha Narwal, who had been arrested over her alleged involvement in the Delhi riots in February 2020.
Natasha Narwal, an activist of the Pinjra Tod group, was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. On Sunday, her father, Mahavir Narwal, died of COVID-19 at a hospital in Rohtak.
A Delhi High Court bench, comprising Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup J. Bhambani, granted interim bail to Natasha Narwal for three weeks subject to her furnishing personal bond of Rs 50,000. She was also directed to provide her phone number to the station house officer of the Delhi Police Special Cell's Crime Branch.
The Delhi High Court bench was quoted by Live Law as saying, "In view of the interest of justice, we are of the view that the release of the applicant is imperative in this hour of grief and personal loss and in facts and circumstances of the case."
Her lawyers had made an urgent plea for interim bail after her father's death. Her petition for regular bail was reserved since April 27 by the Delhi High Court. The Delhi High Court had noted that as Mahavir Narwal's son was also in self-isolation due to COVID-19, there was nobody else in the family to perform his last rites.
“Mahavir Narwal was not able to speak to his daughter who is in jail. His son, Aakash, who is also COVID-19 positive, was there with him in Rohtak,” sources close to the family said on Sunday.
Mahavir Narwal was a member of the CPI(M) and a retired scientist from the CCS Haryana Agricultural University.
Women’s rights activist and CPIML politburo member Kavita Krishnan lashed out at the government and said it was “torture” forcing “feminists” to be in prison while their loved ones die of COVID-19.
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“This is so bloody cruel & sadistic: it's a form of torture to keep political prisoners jailed during a pandemic, forced to suffer not only prison, but the pain of being away from loved ones who are dying. Natasha's brother also has COVID-19,” she said on Twitter.