Sri Vijaya Puram, July 9: Aziz-ur-Rahman on Thursday said the Sessions Court had granted him anticipatory bail in the case registered against him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, describing the court’s order as a reaffirmation of his faith in the judiciary while denying that his remarks were intended to insult any caste or community.
Addressing a press conference shortly after securing anticipatory bail, Aziz-ur-Rahman said he had complete faith in the judicial process throughout the proceedings and maintained that the court’s order was significant given the nature of the charges invoked against him.
“The court has given a very good order today. You can see that I have been granted anticipatory bail,” he said. He further claimed that anticipatory bail is not easily granted in cases involving the provisions under which he had been booked and credited his counsel, Mohammad Tabrez, for presenting his case before the court.
According to Aziz-ur-Rahman, he had intended to surrender before the police but postponed doing so after his advocate advised him to wait while an application for anticipatory bail was being pursued. He said he considered it important to follow his lawyer’s legal advice and await the court’s decision.
Referring to the proceedings, Aziz-ur-Rahman said his advocate argued before the court that he had not made any statement intended to offend any caste or community. Reiterating his earlier stand, he claimed that the term “Bhangar” was used to refer to persons who consume bhang or drugs and was not directed at any Scheduled Caste community.
Aziz-ur-Rahman thanked supporters who, he said, stood by him during the legal proceedings and expressed gratitude to those who prayed for him. He claimed that public concern over the case reflected confidence in his conduct and maintained that none of his actions had been unlawful.
He further alleged that he had raised his voice over the assault on members of the Telugu community and claimed that the subsequent case against him was part of an attempt to divert attention from that issue and damage his public image. He also alleged that efforts had been made to secure his arrest through political pressure but maintained that he remained confident the judiciary would decide the matter independently.
Describing the court as the highest authority in the country, Aziz-ur-Rahman said the order reinforced his belief that judicial institutions function independently of external pressure.
During the press conference, he also thanked Satya Narayana Satyabhai, Dr. Malik, CPM leader Ayyappan and Manoj Paul, stating that they had publicly spoken what he described as the truth regarding the controversy.
Aziz-ur-Rahman said he would continue his public work despite the legal proceedings and asserted that the case would not deter him from raising issues of public concern. He said he remained committed to speaking out wherever he believed injustice had occurred and added that the episode had strengthened his connection with the public.
The anticipatory bail order comes in the case registered against Aziz-ur-Rahman under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in which the prosecution has alleged that his remarks amounted to caste-based humiliation, allegations that he has consistently denied.
