Gurgaon, Feb 23 (IANS) The Supreme Court Monday granted bail to two of the 148 jailed Maruti Suzuki workers in jail following the July 18, 2012 violence at the company's Manesar plant in Haryana which left a senior executive dead and dozens injured.
The workers were in jail on charges of murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, a lawyer said.
Sunil Kumar and Kanwarjeet Singh, residents of Jhajjar and Hisar districts, respectively, were granted regular bail by the bench of Justice Madan Bhimarao Lokur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit.
Kumar was a casual worker while Singh was doing his apprenticeship. Both worked for Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) for nearly seven months before they were arrested for violence.
The workers had approached the apex court in January this year after a district and the Punjab and Haryana High court denied them bail.
"The prosecution failed to produce even a single witness against the duo. After completion of prosecution examination and finding no evidence against accused, they were granted bail," Vrinda Grover, one of the defense counsel told IANS.
Earlier, booked by police and sacked by the company, the slow pace of the case in various courts had led to a situation where none of the 148 jailed workers were even allowed bail.
The violence in the Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant near Gurgaon, left the company's HR head (general manager) Ashwin Kumar Dev dead and over 50 people injured.
Violence started after a company supervisor allegedly abused and slapped a worker. Services of nearly 2,500 workers, including 546 permanent employees, were terminated after the incident.
Maruti declared a lockout for over a month, causing a loss of several crores of rupees.
The case is under trial in the court of Gurgaon Additional District and Sessions Judge S.K. Khanduja. The next hearing of the case will be held March 3.
"Nearly hundred testimonies of company officials, four contractors of the company, doctors, officials from the labour department and investigating police officers have been completed. Maruti officials failed to identify 25 jailed workers," union leader Ramniwas told IANS.
"Those in jail have lost family members during this period but they have not been granted bail even on these occasions," a member of one of the affected families said.
HC notice to Centre over Prashant Bhushan's plea
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Friday issued notice to the central government on
BJP wants to murder Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia's sensational allegation; Know what was argued
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday made serious allegations against the Bhar
Derek O'Brien now Trinamool's chief national spokesperson
Kolkata, March 19 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress has appointed Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien
IAS PCS Free Coaching: The Uttar Pradesh government is going to provide free coaching for IAS and
Patna: The report of NITI Aayog has come as bad news for Bihar. This report has not only describe
Amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, India has distanced itself from another resolution passed in the U
Bhubaneswar The corona is ringing alarm bells for young children in Bhubaneswar, the capital of O
Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the 200th anniversary celebrations of Shri Swaminara
No plans to join Modi Government, says TRS leader
Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IANS) The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is not planning to join the Nation
'India's Daughter' raised issues globally: US writer
Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) Batting for women's safety "anywhere, anytime", an American writer on
