HC grants bail to two former Congress leaders arrested in September 24 Leh violence case, says bail is a rule | India News
SRINAGAR: A large crowd gathered outside the Leh district jail on Saturday to welcome the release of former Congress councilor Smanla Darje Nurbu (36) and former Congress J&K MLA Deldan Namgail (47) after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court granted them bail.Police arrested Namgail on September 26, 2025, and Noorbu a day later, following a violent protest in Leh on September 24 in which four people were killed and around 80 injured in police firing on protesters demanding Ladakh’s statehood and Sixth Schedule status. Police charged the duo with inciting violence and being present at the scene, but both have denied the charges. With their release, all those arrested in the September 24 violence have been released on bail.Police said 38 police personnel and 57 CRPF personnel were injured in the violence. Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), two influential political and religious groups in Leh and Kargil, demanded their release. LAB Co-Chairman Chering Darjee, who was also out of jail and congratulated the duo, said he was happy that the duo was released after being imprisoned for so long.The High Court on Thursday granted bail to the accused citing a Supreme Court ruling that the power to grant bail must be exercised with compassion. “The heinousness of the crime itself cannot be a reason to completely deny the benefit of bail if there are other compelling circumstances justifying the grant of bail,” the high court said, adding that the state’s concerns could be addressed by imposing reasonable conditions. The court also observed that “in non-bailable offenses which do not carry the death penalty or life imprisonment in the alternative, bail is the rule”.The court directed the accused to pay a bond of Rs 1 lakh each to the satisfaction of the trial court and the jail superintendent. It imposed several conditions, including that the petitioners must cooperate with the investigating agency, participate in the trial proceedings unless exempted, refrain from influencing witnesses, commit no further offences, and not leave India without the prior permission of the trial court and the investigating officer.In his plea, Nurbu said he was at a hospital on September 24 to meet the hunger strikers who had fallen ill and were not present near the scene. Environmentalist and LAB member Sonam Wangchuk called for a hunger-strike to press the Center to grant Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh. He withdrew it after the September 24 violence.Namgail, in his plea, however, said that the people of the region were raising their demands within the framework of the Constitution and that peaceful protest was a fundamental right. His petition stated that “the demands made by the people were wholly patriotic in their reach and expression”. But he said, he has been implicated in the case, he believes in non-violence.The state opposed bail, saying both men were influential political figures who could abuse their positions. It alleged that Nurbu and Namgel were present at the scene, were “active participants” and “key players” in the violence.Ladakh was carved out of J&K and made a Union Territory on October 31, 2019 after the reorganization of the former state. The region consists of Muslim majority Kargil and predominantly Buddhist Leh.Both districts are governed by elected autonomous councils handling local administration, while overall governance rests with centrally appointed LGs, with no legislative assembly – a structure that has driven demands for full statehood and constitutional protection under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
