NOIDA: A fast-track court has granted bail to activist Satyam Verma in connection with an FIR in the April industrial unrest case.The court cited a lack of concrete evidence linking him to the alleged riot, arson and vandalism. It also flagged the delayed FIR and noted that police had already completed the investigation and filed a charge sheet.Additional sessions judge Satyendra Singh granted Verma conditional bail on Friday, asking him not to influence witnesses and to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the same amount. The case is the fallout of unrest outside Richa Global during a workers’ protest in April.Police had initially named Abdul Karim and Akash Saxena in FIR number 169, along with unidentified persons, before adding 29 more accused. Bail pleas of six persons, including the two named in the FIR, have been rejected, while pleas of Aakriti Choudhary and Aditya Anand will be heard on Wednesday.The accused face charges under BNS sections 126 (2) (wrongful confinement), 127(2) (wrongful restraint), 109(1) (attempt to murder), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 326(G) (mischief by fire or explosives). While granting bail, the court noted that the FIR was filed around 10 days late and that the chargesheet did not contain concrete evidence establishing Verma’s involvement in the alleged violence.“The accused is 61 years old, suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, and has no criminal history,” the judge said, adding that the financial transactions cited by police predated the workers’ movement and there was no evidence that funds had been misused to support it.The FIR alleged that hundreds of workers surrounded Richa Global’s gates, held officials hostage and threatened to vandalise and set the premises on fire over demands for a salary hike. It further alleged that workers were instigated through WhatsApp groups.Police later named Verma as a conspirator accused of instigating protesters through the groups.
