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The Allahabad High Court at Lucknow bench has granted anticipatory bail to Shia leader Dr. Syed Kalbe Sibtain @ Noori who is accused of being the mastermind of the violent acts committed during the anti-CAA and NRC protests that took place in the city in December 2019. 

Allegedly, 26 named persons and more than two thousand other persons ransacked two police chowkis on December 19, 2019 in the garb of protests and Sibtain was personally responsible for ransacking the police chowkis.

The bench of Justice Krishan Pahal passed the order in this regard on the application of the Shia leader seeking pre-arrest bail in the case registered under Sections 147, 148, 149, 152, 323, 504, 506, 333, 427, 436, 307, 353, 188, 120-B, 395, 145 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 7 Criminal Law Amendment Act, and Section 3/4 Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act and Section 5 Explosive Substances Act.

Stating that he is son of a renowned scholar and cleric of the Shia Community, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq who has been awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India, the Shia leader had argued that he was not named in the First Information Report in the case and had been falsely implicated at the instance of local politicians. 

He had also stressed that he is an educated person having attained the degree of Doctorate and earlier also he had been granted interim protection in this case by the Court by via order dated July 15, 2021.

The counsel of the Shia leader had also argued that the other co-accused person, Kasif @ Kashif Ahmad, who is named in the FIR, has already been enlarged on anticipatory bail in February last year. 

On the other hand, the Additional Government Advocate had vehemently opposed these arguments on the ground that Sibtain was the mastermind of the said offence and he was personally responsible for ransacking the police chowkis and the public property.

On due consideration to the arguments raised by both the parties, Court concluded in favor of the Shia leader and ordered him to be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond with two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the Station House Officer of the police station concerned, in the event of arrest. 

Case Title: Dr. Syed Kalbe Sibtain @ Noori v. State Of U.P.