Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to 32 people convicted in a 35-year-old caste violence case in Agra.
In an order passed on August 28, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav granted bail while hearing the criminal appeal filed by convicts Jaidev and 31 others.
A court in Agra had on May 28 sentenced the accused to five years of imprisonment in the case.
The violence took place in 1990 under Kagaraul police station area of Agra district.
The counsel for appellant Jaidev and 31 others submitted that they have been falsely implicated. He argued that about 27 witnesses have been examined by the prosecution but there are contradictions in their statements which were not considered by the trial court.
Most of the appellants are above 65 years of age and are suffering from various ailments. The trial court misread the evidence and convicted the appellants, the counsel argued.
The high court was told that the appellants were on bail during the trial and did not misuse the liberty at any stage. All have been in jail since May 28, 2025. There is no possibility of early hearing of the appeal in future, hence they are eligible to be released on bail till the appeal is pending, the counsel said.
The court noted that appellant number 21, 95-year-old Devi Singh, has been released on short-term bail by an order dated August 4, 2025.
The court said, “Keeping in mind that the final disposal of the appeal may take some time, the appellants are to be released on bail without making any comment on the merits of the case.”
All accused were on bail during the trial. They were taken into custody after being convicted by the trial court of Agra on May 28, 2025.
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