Six more DHA residents obtain pre-arrest bail

A city court on Friday granted interim bail before arrest to six more residents of the Defence Housing Authority booked by police for allegedly protesting outside the Cantonment Board Clifton’s office against the authorities’ failure to remove stagnant rainwater from the roads in Defence and Clifton.

Around 22 named and other unidentified protesters who participated in the hours-long protest on August 31 within the remit of the Darakhshan police station were booked on the complaint of a CBC officer.

On Friday, six residents -- Ahmed Owais, Muhammad Ammar, Muhammad Saad, Salman Aziz, Syed Fahd Iftikhar and Kanwar Aftab -- moved applications before District South’s additional sessions judge Ramesh Kumar, seeking pre-arrest bail to avoid arrest.

The judge granted pre-arrest bail to the applicants over the furnishing of a surety of Rs20,000 each, and directed them to join the investigation. The court also issued notices to the state prosecutor, the complainant and the investigating officer to appear on September 7 for arguments on the bail pleas.

On Thursday, the court had granted bail before arrest to seven residents of the Defence area. The FIR was registered under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 148 (rioting), 147 (punishment for rioting), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Munawar Hasan, building and security supervisor of the Cantonment Board Clifton.