While granting bail, the court said that it is well settled legal principle of law that “bail is a rule and jail is an exception”.

Mandeep Punia a freelance journalist was granted bail in Rohini court in Delhi. Mandeep Punia was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 25000. Punia was arrested by the Delhi Police on the evening of 30 January from the Singhu border for misbehaving with On Duty Station House Officer (SHO) and was booked under various charges including sections 186, 332, 353 and 34 of the IPC.

While granting bail, the court said that it is well settled legal principle of law that “bail is a rule and jail is an exception”.

“There is no possibility that the accused can able to influence any of the police officials…..More so, no recovery is to be effected from accused person and keeping accused further in Judicial Custody would not serve any cogent purpose,” the order said.

According to the police, Mandeep Punia, who works as a freelancer with The Caravan and Junputh, was moving through roadblocks and barricades when the alleged incident took place.

A video doing rounds on social media had showed a group of policemen with lathis forcibly taking Punia away. Police had said that another journalist, Dharmender Singh, was also briefly picked up and later let go after he showed his press ID.

A senior police officer had claimed: “Punia was standing with the protesters and he didn’t have a press ID card. He was trying to move through the barricades which were kept to segregate and secure the area. An altercation broke out between police personnel and him. He misbehaved… there was some manhandling as well. He was then detained.”

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