HC grants bail to convict in Nido Tania death case

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to one of the four persons convicted by a trial court for beating to death 19-year-old Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, in January 2014.

Justice Suresh K Kait granted interim bail for three months to Farman, the main accused who was awarded 10 years jail term, subject to his furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10,000 before the Jail Superintendent.

The high court noted that the convict has "already undergone around seven years of jail term out of the 10 year sentence awarded by the trial court" in September last year.

The CBI, which had investigated the case, opposed the bail plea saying his plea for regular bail was dismissed by the high court on March 23 and there are serious allegations against the applicant/appellant and the application deserves to be dismissed.

Tania, son of former Congress MLA from Arunachal Pradesh Nido Pavitra, was beaten up by several shopkeepers in Lajpat Nagar on January 29, 2014, after he had an altercation with them when they made fun of his hairstyle.

Doctors at AIIMS declared him 'brought dead' the next day.

The incident had evoked outrage among the people of the Northeast living in the national capital who had alleged that police had failed to protect him and thereafter, the case was handed over to CBI.

The other three convicts in the case were -- Pawan, Sunder Singh and Sunny Uppal.

During the filing of the charge sheet, the CBI had dropped murder charges against the accused, saying Tania's killing was not premeditated but a result of an altercation.

The trial court had convicted and awarded varying jail terms to the four under IPC sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (common intention).

Pawan and Surender, were sentenced to seven years and a fine of Rs 20,000, while Sunny Pal, was sentenced to three years.