Activist Nodeep Kaur gets bail in second case, files petition for third
Kaur will continue to remain in jail till the court decides on her third petition.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday granted bail to jailed Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan member Nodeep Kaur in the second case lodged against her, the labour rights activist’s sister confirmed to Scroll.in. Kaur was granted relief in the first case on February 11.
Kaur has also filed a petition in the High Court requesting for bail in the third case registered against her. She will remain in jail till the court decides on her request. The third case was filed on charges of attempt to murder. Unidentified officials told NDTV that the hearing was expected after a week.
Kaur was arrested on January 12, and produced before a magistrate court that sent her to judicial custody. The charges against the activist include Indian Penal Code Sections 384 (extortion), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), and 149 (unlawful assembly). The two other cases were also registered against her on January 12.
On February 3, Kaur was denied bail by a Sessions Court in Sonipat, Haryana. The family of the jailed activist had said they will move the High Court of Punjab and Haryana for her release. They have alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the police. However, the police have refuted these claims.
The arrest and the alleged torture of Kaur had gained attention after Meena Harris, the niece of United States Vice President Kamala Harris, tweeted about her. “Weird to see a photo of yourself burned by an extremist mob but imagine what they would do if we lived in India,” Meena Harris tweeted. “I’ll tell you—23 year labor rights activist Nodeep Kaur was arrested, tortured and sexually assaulted in police custody. She’s been detained without bail for over 20 days.”
On February 12, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a notice of motion to the Haryana government, taking suo motu cognisance of complaints regarding the alleged illegal confinement of Kaur.