Allahabad High Court Grants Bail to BJP Worker Accused in Human Trafficking Case

The Allahabad High Court at Lucknow Bench has granted bail to Bikram Roy, a BJP youth-wing functionary, who had been in custody for nearly two years on allegations of helping illegal migrants cross into India and obtain forged identity documents.

The bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary passed the order while allowing Roy’s appeal against the rejection of his bail applications by the trial court.

Roy, accused in a 2023 case registered at the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) police station in Lucknow, was booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and human trafficking, along with Section 14-C of the Foreigners Act, 1946. His bail pleas had earlier been dismissed by the Special Judge (NIA), Lucknow, on 24 July 2024 and 6 February 2025.

During the hearing, Roy’s counsel argued that the role assigned to him was that he was an e-rickshaw driver who had transported some people from the Bangladesh border to West Bengal. He stressed that Roy had no criminal history and was being falsely implicated in a larger case concerning alleged cross-border trafficking and anti-national activities.

The counsel referred to the High Court’s order dated June 26, 2025, in which four co-accused namely Abu Saleh Mandal, Abdul Awal, Abdulla Gazi, and Kafiluddin, were granted bail, as well as the subsequent order dated October 13, 2025, extending the same benefit to Adil-Ur-Rahman, also a Bangladeshi national. The counsel argued that Roy was similarly situated and deserved parity in bail consideration.

It was also pointed out that the Supreme Court had, on 8 October 2025, granted bail to co-accused Shekh Nazibul Haque, observing that the accused had already spent about two years in custody and that the prosecution had listed over 100 witnesses, making an early conclusion of the trial unlikely. The apex court had noted that only one witness had been examined so far, underscoring the prolonged nature of the proceedings.

Accepting these arguments, the High Court found that Roy’s case stood on the same footing as that of the other accused who had already been granted bail. It noted that there was no material suggesting that releasing him would prejudice the trial. Court also observed that none of the offences under the National Investigation Agency Act were directly applicable to the accused, though the trial was being conducted before a Special NIA Court.

The bench quashed the earlier orders of the Special Judge rejecting Roy’s bail and directed his release on a personal bond of Rs. 3,00,000 with two reliable sureties of the like amount. One of the sureties must be local to ensure Roy’s availability during trial proceedings. Court imposed standard conditions, including surrendering his passport, regularly attending hearings, and refraining from tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.

Case Title: Bikram Roy vs. State of UP and Another

Order Date: November 3, 2025

Bench: Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary