NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday permitted Delhi riots accused Meeran Haider, an accused in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, to report to the Crime Branch once a week instead of twice, citing the hardship caused by the existing attendance requirement.A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi also exempted Haider from personal appearance before the police on October 17 and 24 in view of his upcoming marriage, news agency PTI reported.The apex court directed Haider to report to the Station House Officer every Saturday between 10am and 12 noon.Haider, who was granted bail in January along with four other accused, had sought relaxation of the condition requiring him to report to the Crime Branch every Monday and Thursday.Senior advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, appearing for Haider, submitted that the twice-weekly reporting requirement was causing hardship and affecting Haider’s efforts to secure employment, PTI reported.Aggarwal also sought relaxation of restrictions barring Haider from attending gatherings and circulating material, including social media posts.The bench, however, declined to modify those conditions.The relief comes days after a Delhi court granted seven-day interim bail to Sharjeel Imam to attend the weddings of his two first cousins in Delhi and Bihar.Imam, who is also facing prosecution in the 2020 Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case under the UAPA and other provisions, was granted bail from October 4 to 10.The accused are facing prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions for allegedly being part of a larger conspiracy behind the communal violence in Delhi in February 2020.(With agency inputs)
