Earlier, on May 13, the court had granted bail to the accused persons. On April 30, it granted exemption from personal appearance to the accused persons, except Vivek Gupta The court had summoned the accused persons on April 21 while taking congisance of the chargesheet.

Shashi Tharoor warned that the temptation to centralise power, silence dissent, and bypass constitutional safeguards may reappear in various forms. “Often, such tendencies may be justified in the name of national interest or stability. In this sense, the Emergency stands as a strong warning.”

Jamaluddin or Chhangur Baba, who used to sell amulets and rings on his bicycle from village to village, now boasts of a bank balance of more than Rs 106 crore, deposited in more than 40 accounts, besides real estate property worth crores of rupees in UP and Maharashtra.