The Delhi High Court has set aside the bail granted to a Muslim man accused of being involved in clashes and stone-throwing during a demolition drive near a mosque and a graveyard at Turkman Gate in the national capital on January 7, PTI reported on Friday.

The clashes had broken out when the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was carrying out the demolition on land adjoining the Faiz Elahi mosque and a nearby graveyard.

The mosque was not damaged during the drive, PTI had quoted an unidentified official of the civic body as claiming at the time. However, unidentified police officials had told the news agency that the situation escalated after social media posts claimed that the mosque was being demolished, leading to a large crowd gathering at the site.

They claimed that around 150 to 200 persons were involved in the violence, and six police personnel, including the local station house officer, were injured.

Ubedullah (25) was among the 18 persons arrested in the case, The Indian Express reported. He was booked under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to rioting and attempt to murder.

On Tuesday, Ubedullah was granted bail by a trial court, just a week after it denied bail to five other persons accused in the case.

While opposing the bail in the trial court, the prosecution had relied on security camera footage and the disclosure statement of a co-accused, alleging that Ubedullah was part of a violent crowd that obstructed the police, threw stones and damaged public property, PTI reported.

Ubedullah’s counsel had argued that the case against him rested entirely on security camera footage that did not show any overt act by him, The Indian Express reported.

The counsel added that there was no video of him or any call records showing that he was involved in the violence. The defence also submitted that Ubedullah was the only breadwinner in his family and caregiver to his paralysed father, the newspaper reported.

On Wednesday, the High Court set aside the bail.

Remanding the matter to the trial court for fresh consideration, Justice Prateek Jalan said that the bail order in favour of Ubedullah was “cryptic and unreasoned”, PTI reported.

While courts are cautious about interfering with an order granting liberty to a person, this was an “exceptional case”, Jalan was quoted as saying.

He added that the bail order did not consider the prosecution’s arguments and did not analyse the factors required while deciding a bail plea.

The trial court has been directed to reconsider the bail plea on Friday.

The demolition drive on January 7 had followed a December 22 order of the municipal corporation declaring that structures beyond 0.19 acres of land around the mosque were encroachments and liable to be removed.

The civic body had said that no documentary evidence had been produced to establish ownership or lawful possession of the land by the mosque’s managing committee or the Delhi Waqf Board. The mosque is located within the 0.19-acre land.

The corporation’s order was issued after a November 12 direction of a division bench of the High Court, which granted the civic body and the Public Works Department three months to clear 38,940 square feet of encroachments near Ramlila Ground at Turkman Gate.

However, on January 6, the High Court said that the matter “requires consideration” while hearing a plea filed by the mosque’s managing committee challenging the December 22 order.