Jaipur, Feb 18 (IANS): Rajasthan High Court has granted bail to Naresh Meena, an independent candidate for last year's Assembly bypoll to the Deoli-Uniara constituency, in a case related to protesting and inciting a crowd outside the residence of former Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya.

Justice Sudesh Bansal's bench approved his bail plea. However, despite securing bail in the mob incitement case, Naresh Meena will not be released from jail as the Rajasthan High Court had earlier rejected his bail plea on February 14 in connection with the violence in Samravata village.

He was arrested in the case of slapping an SDM, for which a separate bail hearing will be held on Tuesday. During the hearing, the prosecution presented a previous High Court order rejecting Naresh Meena’s bail in the Samravata case, arguing that he had a criminal tendency and should not be granted bail. However, the court dismissed this argument, stating that every case has different circumstances and facts.

The case dates back to September 2023, when Naresh Meena was accused of leading a protest outside Bhaya’s house and inciting the crowd. Despite this, the police did not arrest him for nearly one and a half years. However, after he filed an anticipatory bail plea, the police arrested him from jail on February 3. Naresh Meena’s lawyer, Dr Mahesh Sharma, argued that the case was politically motivated, with allegations based solely on claims of inciting public unrest.

He also pointed out that several others involved in the protest had already been granted bail.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan High Court is set to hear another bail plea for Naresh Meena on Tuesday. This case pertains to allegations of slapping an SDM during the Deoli-Uniyara elections. Justice Anil Upman’s bench will be hearing the matter.

Apart from these cases, Naresh Meena also faces charges of blocking the highway and tampering with EVMs, though the police have not yet arrested him in these matters. Several other cases against him also remain under investigation.

Earlier, Meena was arrested after he slapped an SDM during bypolls to the Deoli-Uniyara Assembly seat. When residents of Samravata (Tonk) village boycotted voting, Independent candidate Meena led a protest along with the villagers.

Amidst the demonstrations, he accused officials of coercing people to vote. In a heated moment, he entered the polling booth and slapped SDM Amit Chaudhary. Following the incident, Naresh Meena resumed his sit-in protest. The situation escalated when a dispute arose over stopping protesters' vehicles. The police took Naresh Meena into custody, triggering outrage among his supporters. Hundreds of protesters stormed the area, forcibly freeing him from police custody. This led to a police lathi charge and allegations of stone-pelting by villagers. During the chaos, several vehicles were torched in the village.