After certain people were arrested on charges of organising a party on a boat on which alcohol was flowing and food was being cooked, and which was used by a BJP corporator, they have been granted bail within 24 hours, bringing a fresh controversy in Varanasi.
The development has been compared with another one which happened in March, when a gathering of Muslim youths at an iftar function on a boat on the Ganga was arrested. Youths were alleged to have organised the biryani party on the river and a much longer legal battle loomed, reports said. They appealed to a local court to get released from custody but their requests have been turned down, and they are reportedly kept in jail for almost two months, and were granted relief by the High Court.
The contrasting results of the two cases have brought some attention to the difference in treatment in cases, calling into question consistency and fairness in the legal system. The new bail order has brought under question similar cases and whether they are treated differently based on the individual involved.
In a case of bail that happened recently, supporters of the accused contended that the legal process was adhered to, and that it was granted bail after considering the merits of the case. But, there are questions on how the one was released while the other was imprisoned for so many weeks before being granted bail.
The issue has now spread like wildfire on social media, some users explaining they are seeing unfairness and that law should be equally applied across the board for all citizens—no matter their political or religious affiliation.