Cleric Tauqeer Raza appears before Bareilly court; next hearing on Oct 28
Bareilly (PTI): Cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza appeared virtually before a Bareilly court on Tuesday in connection with the September 26 violence in the city.
The court has fixed October 28 as the next date for his remand hearing, a court official said.
Senior Prosecution Officer (SPO) Lavlesh Singh said Raza appeared before Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Alka Pandey through video conferencing from Fatehgarh Central Jail, where he is currently lodged.
Besides him, 39 other accused were produced before the court in person, he added.
The CJM extended the judicial custody of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief by another 14 days and directed that he be produced again on October 28.
Police have described Raza as the main accused in the September 26 violence in Bareilly, where his followers allegedly clashed with police and damaged public property'
According to officials, Raza has racked up around 20 criminal cases against him since 1982.
Following the September 26 incident, seven new FIRs were lodged against him across five police stations in Bareilly.
Police have so far booked him in 10 cases linked to the violence and said that his name has now also been added to three more cases after investigation.
In total, 12 FIRs have been registered in connection with the Bareilly unrest, and more than 105 people have been arrested so far, including over 10 leaders and workers of Raza's outfit.
Raza was initially sent to Bareilly District Jail after his arrest, but was later shifted to Fatehgarh Central Jail for security reasons.
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Unemployed 'youngsters like cockroaches' become media, activists; attack system: CJI
New Delhi (PTI): Likening some unemployed youngsters to cockroaches, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday said they go on to "become" media, social media and RTI activists and start attacking the system.
The comments came while a bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was pulling up a lawyer for "pursuing" a senior advocate designation. It said there were already "parasites" in society who attack the system and asked the petitioner whether he wanted to join hands with them.
"The entire world may be eligible to become senior (advocate), but at least you are not entitled," the bench told the petitioner lawyer.
A visibly anguished CJI observed that if the Delhi High Court would confer senior advocate designation upon the petitioner, the apex court would set that aside seeing his professional conduct.
The CJI also referred to the kind of language used by the petitioner on Facebook.
"There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them?" he said.
"There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don't get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists and they start attacking everyone," he said.
The bench also asked the petitioner whether he did not have any other litigation.
"Is this the conduct of a person who seeks to be designated as a senior advocate?" the bench asked.
It said senior advocate designation is something that is conferred on a person and is not to be pursued.
"You are pursuing it. Does it look proper?" the top court said, asking whether a senior advocate designation was a status symbol to be kept ornamentally.
It also observed that it wanted to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to verify the degrees of many of those who were wearing black robes as there were serious doubts over the genuineness of their degrees.
It said the Bar Council of India would never do anything on this issue as they "need their votes".
The petitioner apologised to the bench and sought permission to withdraw the petition. The bench allowed the withdrawal of the petition.
