Jaipur, September 22 (Daily Kiran) : The Rajasthan High Court has granted bail to independent leader Naresh Meena in connection with an incident where he allegedly slapped a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) during the November 2024 by-election in the Devli-Uniyara constituency. Justice Anil Upadhyay issued the conditional bail on Tuesday, requiring Meena to report to the local police station during the first week of each month while on bail.
The court also mandated that Meena must not engage in any other criminal activities during the bail period and should refrain from attempting to improve his public image after his release.
Previously, Meena had been granted bail in this case; however, in July, a special court for SC/ST cases in Tonk revoked this bail after the prosecution claimed he violated the bail conditions. Following this, an arrest warrant was issued, leading to Meena surrendering and being placed in judicial custody.
This revocation was linked to a case registered at the Nagarfort police station, where police alleged that Meena breached bail conditions after being arrested in connection with protests that erupted following the deaths of seven children in a school-related incident in Jhalawar.
The prosecution subsequently sought to cancel his bail. In its recent ruling, the High Court noted that Meena was not found to be an accused in two of the three cases filed against him after he was initially granted bail. In the third case, the court acknowledged that he had already received bail and was regularly reporting to the police station.
Meena’s lawyers, Rajneesh Gupta and Fateh Ram Meena, argued that most of the cases against their client were politically motivated. They referenced the Jhalawar incident, highlighting that the High Court had previously remarked that the situation appeared political in nature.
The incident in question occurred on November 13, 2024, when Meena, then an independent candidate in the by-election, allegedly slapped SDM Amit Chaudhary in the village of Samarawata in Tonk district. Following this altercation, violent protests and vandalism erupted in Samarawata and surrounding areas, leading to Meena’s arrest in connection with the violence.
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