Bangle seller Taslim Ali, who was assaulted in Madhya Pradesh by a group that accused him of using a fake name and later arrested on the charge of sexual harassment, has got bail after spending three months in jail.
Home minister Narottam Mishra in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh had said the dispute had erupted because Ali had posed as a Hindu while selling bangles to women although he belonged to another community. It was unclear why the minister thought the religion of a vendor should matter to customers.
Ali, a native of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, was later arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for allegedly touching a 13-year-old girl inappropriately while selling bangles.
On Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh High Court granted bail to Ali in the sexual assault case, lodged in August.
The next day, an FIR was registered at Banganga police station against Ali on the complaint of the 13-year-old girl. According to the FIR, Ali had gone to the girl’s house to sell bangles and identified himself as “Golu” before allegedly touching her inappropriately.
Four people allegedly involved in the assault on Ali were also arrested. As per Ali’s complaint, they had asked him his name and started beating him on hearing his reply
Justice Sujoy Paul said: “The nature of accusation is not such which leads to a conclusion that the applicant should remain in custody till the decision of the matter. No criminal antecedents of the applicant could be shown to the court.”
Ali’s lawyer Ehtesham Hashmi told reporters: “The high court’s bail order has once again proved that the Constitution is supreme in the country. This is a victory of the Constitution.”
The case against Ali was politically motivated, advocate Hashmi alleged, adding that the attitude of the state government had been a “little harsh” and that the bail was delayed as police did not present the case diary in the high court on time.
A video had been widely circulated purportedly showing some persons thrashing Ali in the Govind Nagar area of Indore on August 22. The assailants alleged that Ali was using a fake name while selling bangles to women.
