Bilal Kagzi

Advocate and Human Rights Defender

Kosamba, Surat, Gujarat

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on September 18, 2019, regarding the false and fabricated case filed against human rights defender and Advocate Mr. Bilal Kagzi, on August 12, 2019.Mr. Kagzi is a practicing advocate at Surat district court and the Sessions court since 2007 and represents victims of police atrocities and custodial torture and is also actively engaged in issues of Adivasi rights.

Since the last two years, in an ongoing dispute in Kosamba village,Mr.Kagzi has been representing one of the two involved groups in several criminal cases as an advocate. This is important to note as the complainant of the case filed against the human rights defender supports the other group. Mr. Kagzi has previously filed five cases against Kosamba Police Station sub-inspector P.H. Nai and police constable Mr. Nilesh Bhojawala and the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission and the competent police authority have taken cognizance of these matters. Both the police personnel against whom the cases were filed have been involved in the registration of the false case against. Additionally, in the past, he has been threatened, attacked and assaulted by the police and even locked up, in addition to threats from anti-social elements.

It is pertinent to note that Mr. Kagzi is representing the co-accused in a number of criminal cases against the complainant. The video evidence used against Mr. Kagzi was also not accepted or registered as part of evidence by the Investigating Officer as Mr. Kagzi was not present at the time and place of the incident.

The FIR registered against Mr. Kagzi and seven others in Crime No.136/2019 on August 12, 2019 at the Kosamba Police Station, in Surat has been filed under Section 143, 144, 148, 149, 307,323, 324, 325, 427, 120-B, 504 and 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR also falsely alleges that that the complainant in this case had met Mr. Kagzi on June 20, 2019 near Surat Railway Station, and was threatened.The complainant in the case against Mr. Kagzi alleged that he and the other seven accused persons named in the case attempted to kill the complainant.