SC: How is torching a police station UAPA offence?
The Supreme Court of India dismissed an appeal by the state of Uttarakhand to cancel bail for an accused involved in a police station arson case. The court questioned the application of the UAPA anti-terror law for this specific incident.
Why it matters
The ruling clarifies the judicial interpretation of anti-terror laws and reinforces the principle that bail should not be denied mechanically without sufficient evidence.
NEW DELHI: Implementing its view that bail granted by a HC should not be ordinarily challenged in the apex court, Supreme Court Friday dismissed Uttarakhand's appeal questioning the grant of bail to one Abdul Malik, the alleged mastermind of a mob that hurled a petrol bomb to torch a police station in Haldwani in 2024.A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked whether throwing a bomb constitutes an offence under UPA. "Is throwing a bomb a UAPA offence?" the bench asked the state additional advocate general Gaurav Bhatia before he could open arguments for cancellation of bail granted to Malik by HC."If a mob burns a police station, how is it an offence under UAPA? How did the offence affect national security?
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