Delhi HC Grants Interim Bail To Activist Natasha Narwal After Father Dies From COVID-19

Jailed Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal gets bail a day after her father passed away from COVID-19. The Delhi High Court, hearing an interim bail application filed by Narwal, passed the order Monday. She has been asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs. 50,000 and leave her contact details with the special cell of Delhi's crime branch.

Narwal, who was arrested May 23, 2020 under the severe Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for her alleged role in the Delhi Riots, has been granted a three-week release with the court asking her to "observe remote silence" during this period, in reference to social media remarks about her ongoing case.

Mahavir Narwal, at the age of 71, passed away Sunday in Rohtak after battling the virus for a week. He was a communist activist and senior scientist prominent for his work during the Emergency in the 70s. He was reportedly admitted to hospital on May 3 following a dip in his oxygen levels. After some hours on a ventilator, Mahavir Narwal died May 9.

"I know my daughter. I am very clear about her and very proud of her. She is not an accused in my eyes," Mahavir Narwal had said last year after the young activist's arrest.

Natasha Narwal Gets Bail: Looking At The Conditions

A bench comprising Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup J Bhambhani passed the order for Narwal's interim bail. Her application had originally sought interim bail "on the ground that her aged father had been hospitalised in Rohtak, Haryana on account of being covid positive," the bench said.

Narwal's brother is the only remaining member of her family since their mother passed away when the children were young. She will partake in the cremation rituals in Rohtak since her brother is reportedly positive for COVID-19 and currently in self-isolation. The lawyer for Narwal stated that the activist during a video call with them "could not even speak".

"We are of the view that the release of the applicant is imperative in this hour of grief and personal loss and in facts and circumstances of the case," the court said, as per Live Law.

In September last year, Narwal was granted bail in the Jaffrabad violence case but remained in jail due to another. Orders in Narwal's regular bail application in the Delhi Riots case were reserved on April 27, 2021 and have been pending since.