Sambhal (UP), Mar 24 (PTI) A court here on Monday fixed March 27 for hearing the bail plea of Zafar Ali, president of the Shahi Jama Masjid Management Committee, who was arrested in connection with the November 24 violence during a protest against a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Nirbhay Narain Rai also asked the prosecution to provide the case diary by March 27.

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Ali was arrested on Sunday after questioning and was sent to Moradabad jail on a two-day judicial remand by a court.

"Zafar Ali's advocate filed a plea for interim and permanent bail. The case diary is yet to come... I asked for a week's time so that the bail plea could be disposed of after hearing both parties," Additional District Government Advocate Hariom Prakash Saini told PTI.

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He said the court asked the prosecution to provide the case diary by March 27, when the next hearing will be held.

Since Ali's judicial custody period ends on Tuesday, "the investigating officer of the case may seek an extension of the jail remand", Saini said while replying to a query.

On Sunday, when Zafar Ali was being taken for medical examination in a Chandausi hospital, he had told reporters, "I did not instigate any riot. I have been falsely implicated."

His lawyer Amir Hussain had said he would apply for bail in the court of the district judge on Monday.

A case has been registered against Ali under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 191(2) and 191(3) (rioting), 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty) and 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc).

He has also been charged with BNS sections 230 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence) and 231 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of offence punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment).

Meanwhile, a section of lawyers in the Sambhal district observed a one-day pen-down strike on Monday to protest against Ali's arrest.

They alleged that his arrest was an attempt to prevent him from testifying before a judicial commission investigating the incident.

The Uttar Pradesh government had set up the three-member judicial commission to probe the violence in which four people were killed and several injured during protests over the survey.

Mohammad Nazar Qureshi, president of the Chandausi District Court Bar Association in Sambhal, told PTI, "All courts in Sambhal, Chandausi and Gunnaur remained closed today as part of the strike."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)