The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday refused to grant immediate relief to cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza, the main accused in the 2010 Bareilly riots case. The court heard Tauqeer Raza's plea and reserved its judgment. The plea was filed in the High Court against the non-bailable warrant issued by the Bareilly court. Arguments were presented by Tauqeer Raza and lawyers representing the Uttar Pradesh government during today's hearing. The single judge bench of Justice R.M.N. Mishra heard the case.
In 2010, the Bareilly court found Maulana Tauqeer Raza guilty in the Bareilly riots case. After being convicted, Tauqeer Raza was supposed to surrender in court. However, as he failed to appear in court, non-bailable warrants were issued against him twice. The court ordered the Bareilly police to arrest Maulana Tauqeer Raza and produce him in court. In a recent order, the Bareilly court had declared Maulana Tauqeer Raza as the mastermind behind the riots. Maulana Tauqeer Raza is the chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council.
Court Ordered Arrest Of Maulana Tauqeer Raza
The verdict in the case against the main accused Maulana Tauqeer Raza may be reached within a day or two so the court has not granted interim relief to Maulana Tauqeer Raza. Previously, on March 14, the court had issued orders for the arrest of Maulana Tauqeer Raza to appear in court. Following the court's directive, the police pasted the order copy at Tauqeer Raza's house on Monday. Maulana Tauqeer Raza's provocative statements were blamed for having caused riots in Bareilly. The trial of this case is ongoing, but Maulana Tauqeer Raza has not yet appeared in court. More On It: UP Court Calls Maulana Tauqeer Raza 'Mastermind' Of 2010 Bareilly Riots, Asks Him To Appear On March 11
UP Police Unable To Locate Maulana Tauqeer Raza?
The police have not yet been able to locate Maulana Tauqeer Raza. During the previous hearing, when Maulana did not appear, the court had reprimanded the police and administration. At that time, the court had directed the Superintendent of Police to arrest him. Tauqeer, by misleading the security forces, managed to escape.