Nagpur riots case: 19 accused remanded to police custody till March 21

NEW DELHI: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court on Wednesday remanded 19 accused in the Nagpur violence case to police custody till March 21. The Ganeshpeth police had produced the accused before the court a day earlier.
On Tuesday, the police presented 27 out of the 51 accused in the Mahal riots case before the JMFC court. The proceedings continued till midnight, during which the prosecution recorded the statements of the accused.
Police had sought a seven-day police custody remand (PCR) for further interrogation, but the court had not pronounced its order till the filing of this report.
The remaining accused, who were arrested after midnight on Monday, were scheduled to be produced before the same JMFC court of Sultana Maimuna on Wednesday.
Defence lawyers, including former district government pleader Asif Qureshi and Rafiq Akbani, opposed the PCR request, alleging wrongful arrests.
"Many of those arrested had no role in the rioting. The real culprits were outsiders, not local residents from Bhaldarpura. Several middle-aged men were taken into custody, even though the violence was largely carried out by younger individuals," Qureshi told TOI.
The defence also criticized police delays in completing formalities, which they argued slowed down the court proceedings. The case is expected to see further legal battles over the legitimacy of arrests and the role of those in custody.