Prayagraj: Allahabad high court has granted bail to Himanshu Thakur, a member of the workers’ union Mazdoor Bigul Dasta, in two cases arising out of the April 2026 workers’ protest in Noida.
Thakur was arrested on April 17 in connection with Case Crime Nos. 164 and 165, both registered at Phase-2 police station in Gautam Budh Nagar district.
A large group of workers gathered at industrial establishments in Noida, allegedly indulged in stone-pelting, damaged company property and assaulted employees as well as police personnel, according to the FIRs. In separate orders passed by Justice Avnish Saxena and Justice Krishan Pahal, the court noted that no specific role had been attributed to Thakur in the alleged mob violence, despite the state’s opposition to his bail plea on the basis of his social media activities. The cases were registered under various provisions of the BNS, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.
On Aug 7, Justice Krishan Pahal granted bail to Thakur in Case Crime No. 164. However, the court observed that no specific role had been assigned to Thakur in the FIR, which alleged the involvement of a mob comprising 450 to 500 people.
The court noted that a similarly placed co-accused, Ravi Kumar Rathore, had already been granted bail by a coordinate bench and observed that Thakur’s criminal history “stands explained”. The court directed his release upon furnishing a personal bond and two sureties, subject to conditions that he would neither tamper with evidence nor influence witnesses. During the hearing, Thakur’s counsel challenged the prosecution’s reliance on recoveries made from his residence, including electronic devices, books and union literature. The defence argued that no weapons, explosives or incriminating digital communications had been recovered.
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