Meerut, Aug. 3 -- Zafar Ali, the president of Sambhal's Jama Masjid Management Committee who was arrested following the violence during a mosque survey in November last year, was released from prison on Friday. He spent over four months behind bars.

Zafar Ali, an advocate by profession, had been lodged in jail since March 23 after being accused of orchestrating unrest during the Jama Masjid survey and giving false statements related to serious offences. These charges were formally outlined in the police chargesheet. His initial bail plea was rejected by the sessions court here, following which his family moved the Allahabad high court, which granted him bail on July 24.

However, before his release, the police slapped charges of public m...