NEW DELHI, Dec 22:
A Delhi court today extended till January 5 the police custody of Lalit Jha, the alleged ‘mastermind’ of the Parliament security breach incident, for his sustained interrogation.
Special Judge Hardeep Kaur extended Jha’s custody on an application moved by the Delhi Police.
Police sought extension of Jha’s custody, saying he was needed to be taken to various places for investigation, which was “at a crucial stage”.
The Public Prosecutor told the court he was required to be quizzed further to unravel the entire conspiracy and to get to the root of the matter.
“We have to find out the actual persons involved in the conspiracy… All are required to be looked into in totality while investigating this matter. We have to find out the ultimate objective of the offence,” the prosecutor told the court, emphasising the need for their sustained custodial interrogation.
Police had earlier told the court that Jha was the mastermind of the incident.
The court had on Thursday extended the custody of four other accused — Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde and Neelam Devi — till January 5.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow smoke from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by some of the MPs.
Around the same time, two other accused — Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi — released smoke from canisters while shouting “tanashahi nahi chalegi” outside the Parliament premises.
In a related development, the Delhi High Court stayed the trial court’s order directing the city police to supply a copy of the FIR to Neelam Devi, after the counsel for police contended that in sensitive matters like these an accused has to approach the police commissioner who forms a committee to decide the application for providing a copy of the FIR and, if it is denied, they can move the court for relief.
However, the trial court erred in directing the police to provide the FIR copy to the accused, the Delhi Police said. (PTI)
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