Supreme Court (data map)
In a relief, the Supreme Court has granted bail to two more former PAC policemen jailed in the 1987 Meerut Hashimpura massacre case. One of the former police officers sought bail on health grounds due to his 82-year-old age, which the court accepted and ordered his release. Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted bail to 10 PAC personnel.
In fact, in 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned the judgment of the Tis Hazari Court and sentenced 16 PAC soldiers to life imprisonment. The UP government has asked the court to postpone today’s hearing and said it is yet to receive a copy of the bail application. Two former police officers submitted a petition to the court saying that others in the case had been granted bail and therefore they should be considered.
19 people were charged
On May 22, 1987, a massacre occurred in the Hashimpura area of ​​Meerut, in which the police killed 75 Muslim youths. The incident took place at a time when Meerut was in the throes of communal riots. 19 people have been charged in the massacre. In the process, 16 people have surrendered.
In May 2000, 16 of the 19 defendants surrendered and were subsequently released on bail. In 2002, the Supreme Court transferred the hearing of the case from the Ghaziabad District Court to the Tis Hazari Court in Delhi. On March 21, 2015, the Tis Hazari Court acquitted 16 defendants due to insufficient evidence.
The High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2018
After the Tis Hazari court acquitted the accused, the case was transferred to the High Court. On October 31, 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned the lower court’s verdict and sentenced 16 defendants to life imprisonment. All defendants have since been jailed. Recently, the Supreme Court has released 10 criminals on bail pending trial.
