Sajjan Kumar appears in court,gets bail

Kumar,against whom non-bailable warrants were issued,had already been granted anticipatory bail by the Delhi High Court on February 26 — the matter would be heard next on March 20.

Dressed in a white safari suit,Kumar entered the court premises amid heavy security,as protests continued outside. In court,Kumar did not show much emotion and calmly watched the proceedings.

Kumar’s appearance came after a month of hide-and-seek,during which the Central Bureau of Investigation told the court that he was absconding. On February 1,a city court had issued summons against Kumar and other accused,asking them to appear in court on February 17.

On the given day,as mediapersons waited in anticipation,Kumar did not turn up. A day-long courtroom drama ended with non-bailable warrants issued against Kumar and the other accused.

Kumar again failed to appear on February 23,the next date of hearing,leading the court to slam CBI for not arresting him after warrants were issued. Noting that the court is “left at the mercy of the accused to appear in court”, magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma had also questioned the genuineness of the CBI’s efforts.

“Is this the way CBI functions?” he had asked. “Where have all the accused gone?”

Efforts by his counsel to get Kumar anticipatory bail finally proved successful on February 26.

On Wednesday,with the threat of arrest lifted and the attention of TV cameras elsewhere,Kumar arrived at 10 am sharp,signed his bond after his bail order was approved,and left shortly after.

‘Shoe-thrower’ journalist roughed up,sees threat to life
A journalist,who had hurled a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram on April 8 last year,alleged he was roughed up outside the the Karkardooma court after the hearing in anti-Sikh riots cases against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar on Wednesday afternoon.

Jarnail Singh filed a written complaint with Karkardooma court police post apprehending threat to his life and alleged that one Atma Singh Lubana and others used abusive words against him and tried to push him around.

“Lubana also threatened me with dire consequences in the presence of police personnel,” Singh said in the complaint,demanding action.

Singh said he was taken to the police post after the intervention by policemen at the site. Singh had lobbed a shoe at Chidambaram during a press conference last year following the CBI’s clean chit to former Union minister and Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the ‘84 riots case. PTI