Kanhaiya Lal murder case: Bail for accused Javed due to insufficient evidence

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday granted bail to Mohammed Javed, one of the main accused in the brutal murder of Udaipur-based tailor Kanhaiya Lal, on grounds of insufficient evidence. He was released from Ajmer high security jail on Saturday.

Javed left the prison at 8:15 am, hid his face and drove away in a car with his brother Mohammad Shamsher.

Javed was accused of conspiring with the main suspects in the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal.

A bench comprising Justices Pankaj Bhandari and Praveer Bhatnagar ordered his release on bail of Rs 200,000 and surety of Rs 100,000. The bench fixed the bail conditions, barred him from leaving India without permission and demanded cooperation with the ongoing NIA investigation.

While granting bail, the Supreme Court held that there was insufficient evidence against Javed and it was not necessary to keep him in custody.

During investigation, the NIA arrested Riyaz Attari, Gaus Mohammad and others and submitted a chargesheet to the NIA court. Pakistan-based accused Salman and Abu Ibrahim are absconding in the case.

It may be noted that the NIA arrested Javed 20 days after Kanhaiya Lal's murder on June 28, 2022. He was accused of meeting the main accused Riyaz Attari a day before the incident. During a search of his house, a blunt sword was found. Hence, a case was also registered against him under the Arms Act.

Javed, 19, was the eighth of the nine people arrested in the case at the time of arrest. While the main accused Mohammad Riyaz and Ghouse Mohammad were arrested within hours of the murder, others, including Javed, were arrested later.

Javed is the second person to be granted bail in the case. Earlier, Farhad Mohammad Sheikh alias Babla, 31, was granted bail at the time of his arrest in July 2022. — IANS