Ishrat Jahan (lawyer)

Ishrat Jahan is a practising advocate and former municipal councillor for the Indian National Congress[1] in Delhi who is an accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act[2] and was granted bail on 14 March 2022 after her incarceration since February 2020.[3]

Ishrat Jahan
NationalityIndian
OccupationLawyer
Known forFormer politician, UAPA case
Political partyIndian National Congress
MovementCitizenship Amendment Act protests

Biography

Jahan has been a practising advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi since 2006.[4][5] She was elected a councillor for Jagatpuri (an urban ward in Krishna Nagar, Delhi)[6] under the Indian National Congress ticket in 2012.[7]

Ishrat Jahan was a prominent activist in the Citizenship Amendment Act protests that began on 13 January 2020.[2][7] She was arrested on 26 February 2020[4] along with two other activists on a variety of charges.[2] Lawyers from the Indian Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Law Network who went to the police station to seek their release were allegedly beaten by police.[2] After Jahan was granted bail on 21 March 2020, she was arrested again the same day for charges related to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).[4][7]

Ishrat Jahan was accused of giving provocative speeches leading up to the violence that rocked northeast Delhi in February 2020 during the Citizenship Amendment Act protests.[8][9] In May 2020, she was granted ten days bail to get married in June 2020.[10] Ishrat married Farhan Hashmi on 12 June 2020.[4] Thereafter, she was denied interim bail and returned to jail on 19 June.[6][11] On 31 July 2020, her appeal to the Delhi High Court against a trial court order granting the police more time to file a chargesheet was denied.[12] She was again denied bail on 27 November 2020.[13]

She was lodged at the Mandoli jail until March 2022, where she complained of being harassed on a regular basis and beaten by the inmates in at least two incidents (in November and December 2020). A district court judge noted that Jahan was in a state of "utter fear" and directed jail authorities to provide security to her.[14][15][16][11][17]

On 14 March 2022, Jahan got bail in all pending cases against her.[3] After she was released, she continued to assert that she has been wrongly accused and that the anti-CAA protests were not linked to violence.[18]

Further reading
  • Iyer, A. S. (24 July 2021). "'Driven, tolerant and Warm': Who Is Ishrat Jahan, beyond being a UAPA Accused?". The Quint. Retrieved 27 July 2021.

References
  1. "Former Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan seeks interim bail due to Covid outbreak in prison". ThePrint. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  2. Johari, Aarefa (27 February 2020). "Two anti-CAA activists arrested by Delhi police were tortured in custody, allege family members". Scroll.in. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  3. Mohan J., Anand (14 March 2022). "Northeast Delhi riots: Ex-Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan granted bail in UAPA case". Indian Express. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  4. Iyer, Aishwarya S (17 June 2020). "'Want to Live in the Moment': Inside UAPA Accused Ishrat's Wedding". The Quint. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  5. "Delhi riots: Ex-Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan seeks interim bail due to COVID-19 outbreak in prison". The New Indian Express. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. "Court refuses to extend interim bail to Ishrat Jahan". The Hindu. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  7. Kalra, Aparna (13 June 2020). "In the Middle of Modi's UAPA Dragnet, a Wedding, and Some Fighting Spirit". The Wire. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. "Delhi violence: Court refuses to extend interim bail of ex-Congress councilor Ishrat Jahan". Asian News International. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  9. Bhatia, Atul (29 February 2020). "Ishrat Jahan, ex-Congress municipal councillor, arrested for inciting violence during Delhi riots". IndiaTV. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. "Delhi Violence: Ex-Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan, Arrested In Delhi Violence Case, Gets Bail To Get Married". NDTV. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  11. Iyer, Aishwarya S (23 December 2020). "Delhi Riots: Women in Jail Indulge in Vulgar Acts, Says Ishrat". The Quint. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  12. "Delhi riots: HC dismisses Ishrat Jahan's plea". Siasat Daily. IANS. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  13. "Court denies interim bail to Ishrat Jahan in Delhi riots case". Yahoo! News. Press Trust of India. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  14. "Harassed, Abused: Ex-Councillor Ishrat Jahan, Jailed In Delhi Riots Case". NDTV. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  15. "Ex-Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan claims being assaulted inside Mandoli prison". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  16. "Delhi riots: Ishrat Jahan alleges in court beating, harassment by jail inmates". National Herald. Press Trust of India. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  17. "Delhi violence: Ishrat Jahan alleges assault, harassment in jail, asks for a transfer". Scroll.in. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  18. Aafaq, Zafar (22 March 2022). "India: Muslim activist recounts two 'painful' years in jail". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
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