New Delhi, 28 March (H.S.):

A Delhi court on Saturday approved anticipatory bail for Rajiv Kumar accused in the shirtless protest at Bharat Mandapam during the AI Summit on February 20. Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal issued the order.

The court directed Kumar to join the investigation and instructed Delhi Police to give him a week's notice if arrest becomes necessary.

During the hearing Kumar's counsel Amrish Ranjan Pandey argued that affiliation with any party does not imply guilt and recording a video of the protest is no crime.

This follows an interim bail granted on March 14 while police opposed the plea claiming Kumar was part of the plot and filmed the entire episode. Nine Youth Congress workers have already secured bail in the case along with president Uday Bhanu Chib who got magistrate court relief on February 28 only for sessions court to stay it that day before the Delhi High Court lifted the stay on March 2. Youth Congress general secretary Nigam Bhandari holds interim bail until March 24.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar