Parliament security breach: Court allows Spl Cell to take all accused to Mumbai, Mysore, Lucknow for probe

Dec 14, 2023

New Delhi [India], December 14 : Delhi's Patiala House Court on Thursday granted seven days custodial remand of all four accused persons arrested in connection with the Parliament security breach matter.
Additional Sessions Judge Dr Hardeep Kaur on Thursday allowed all four accused Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde and Neelam Devi to Mumbai, Mysore, and Lucknow to probe and find actual motives behind their act.
According to the Delhi Police, the accused persons had purchased special shoes from Lucknow and canisters from Mumbai. This was a well-planned conspiracy and attack on the Parliament of India.
Police lawyers further submitted that the accused carried a pamphlet and declared Prime Minister Modi as a missing person and said the person who found him would be paid with money from the Swiss Bank. Accused persons showed PM like a proclaimed offender.
Police informed the court that it had registered the FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and had also added sections of stringent 16 (terrorism) and 18 (conspiracy for terrorism) of the UAPA Act.
All four accused were produced by the Special Cell of Delhi police, which sought their 15-day custodial interrogation.
Representing Delhi Police, Public Prosecutors Advocates Atul Srivastava, Irfan Ahmed and Akhand Pratap Singh informed the court that the accused persons tried to incite fear.
Police lawyers further added that accused persons got entry through a visitor pass which was limited to the visitor's gallery.
Suddenly they jumped from the gallery to the well of MPs, which was trespassing. They had hidden canisters in their shoes. Special shoes made in Lucknow need to be probed.
Court-appointed legal aide counsel for accused persons opposed the police remand plea and said there is no need to grant 15 days' remand for the accused. They can travel to said places in 3-4 days.
Meanwhile, labelling the security breach as a fallout of a "well-planned conspiracy", Delhi Police said it was an "attack on the Parliament of India".
The four accused persons -- Neelam, Amol, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan -- were produced before the Patiala House Court while Delhi Police filed a remand plea.
Sharing details of the incident, in which two unidentified men jumped into the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour from the visitors' gallery and set off smoke cans that they hid in their shoes.
Delhi Police stated in an official release, "All accused yesterday entered the Parliament using visitor passes and jumped from the gallery, which resulted in the hindrance during the Parliament proceedings."
Thereafter, police stated in their plea that the accused needed to be taken to Lucknow, Mumbai and Mysore for custodial interrogation.
Meanwhile, police sources on Thursday said the four persons arrested in connection with the security breach in Parliament have taken common responsibility for the incident, adding that they were giving "rote answers" to the investigation team of the Delhi Police Special Cell in the matter.
Earlier, the absconding accused in the Parliament Security breach case, Lalit Jha, was alleged to be the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy.
Police said they will be able to throw more light on the conspiracy once Lalit Jha is apprehended.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha secretariat suspended eight security personnel on Thursday over security lapses leading to the major security breach in the new Parliament building on Wednesday.
The security breach happened on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 terror attack on the Parliament.
Two people, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released a yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by some MPs. A case was registered against the accused under multiple relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the incident.
A case under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 452 (trespassing), Section 153 (Provocation with an intent to cause riot), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from the discharge of his duty) of the IPC was also registered in the matter.
So far, four people have been arrested in connection with the case while the police informed that two more people, one of whom identified as Vicky, and his wife are being interrogated.