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Patiala House Court has granted three more days of police custody to five Youth Congress activists over the AI Impact Summit protest at Bharat Mandapam. Investigators say the case involves a wider conspiracy with suspects across multiple states.
Patiala House Court extends custody of Youth Congress activists in AI Summit protest case
New Delhi: Patiala House Court has granted the police an additional three days of custody of five activists linked to the Indian Youth Congress in connection with the protest during the AI Impact Summit held at Bharat Mandapam earlier this month.
The order was passed by Patiala House Court, which allowed investigators more time to continue questioning the accused and gather evidence related to the incident.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta extended the custody of five accused Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar, Narsimha Yadav and Jitendra Yadav for three more days. The accused are scheduled to be produced before the court again on March 1.
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Earlier, the police had sought five additional days of custody, arguing that the investigation involves several individuals located across different states and requires further interrogation of the arrested suspects.
During the hearing, the prosecution told the court that more suspects involved in the alleged planning of the protest are still absconding.
Representing the prosecution, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastav submitted that several accused are scattered across different parts of the country, making the investigation more complex.
Police informed the court that Udai Bhanu Chib has already been arrested in connection with the case, while other suspects remain at large. Investigators said further custody is necessary to confront the arrested individuals with Chib and another accused, Bhudev Sharma.
According to investigators, the protest involved organised planning and coordination, which they claim points to a wider conspiracy.
During the investigation, police told the court that T-shirts connected to the protest were printed in large quantities. One individual, Ramesh Chand Aggarwal, whose anticipatory bail was recently rejected by a sessions court, reportedly disclosed that he sold T-shirts worth around ₹1 lakh to the youth organisation.
Authorities also confirmed that another suspect has been arrested from Himachal Pradesh.
Multiple mobile phones have been recovered from the accused, and officials said their forensic examination is currently underway as part of the probe.
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Lawyers representing the accused opposed the request for extended police custody. They argued that investigators were primarily seeking remand for the recovery of T-shirts and claimed there was no major harm caused during the protest that justified further custody.
However, the police maintained that the investigation goes beyond the recovery of material evidence and involves questioning individuals from various states including the Northeast, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh.
The case, which has now been transferred to the Crime Branch, is being investigated as a possible nationwide conspiracy related to the protest that took place during the summit on February 20.
