Supreme Court Grants Bail to Accused in Mahant Narendra Giri Death Case

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New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court has granted bail to Aadya Prasad Tiwari, an accused in the high-profile death of Mahant Narendra Giri, the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad. The court noted that the trial, which has been ongoing since 2021, is likely to take time to conclude. Mahant Narendra Giri was found hanging at the Baghambari Mutt in Allahabad on September 20, 2021. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had charged Tiwari, along with Anand Giri and Sandeep Tiwari, with abetment to suicide and criminal conspiracy. The CBI had claimed that Giri was under immense mental trauma due to alleged threats from his estranged disciple Anand Giri and the accused. A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma granted bail to Tiwari, setting aside the Allahabad High Court order that had denied him relief. The court noted that the CBI has examined only three witnesses out of 150 proposed to be examined, and the trial is unlikely to conclude soon. The court observed that Tiwari does not appear to be the principal accused in the case and that his further detention pending trial is not necessary. The bench warned Tiwari against making any inducement, threat, or promise to any witness and asked him to attend all trial proceedings diligently. The Supreme Court granted the trial court the liberty to cancel the bail if any of the conditions are breached. The CBI had recovered a video of Mahant Giri, recorded before his alleged death, in which he claimed that Anand Giri was planning to release an edited video showing him in an objectionable position with a woman. The case has been ongoing since 2021, and the CBI has been investigating the alleged conspiracy behind Mahant Giri's death. The Supreme Court's decision to grant bail to Tiwari is a significant development in the case, which is likely to have far-reaching implications.