SC upholds Madras High Court's grant of bail to lawyer arrested for his alleged links to PFI
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India upheld the order of the Madras High Court granting bail to Mohammad Abbas, a lawyer from Madurai who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for his alleged links with the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) organization.
A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Pankaj Mithal confirmed Abbas' bail and emphasized that he must strictly adhere to the bail conditions; failure to comply might result in the cancellation of his bail. The Supreme Court clarified that the observations made in the bail order would not impact the ongoing trial.
In August 2023, the Supreme Court had stayed the High Court's order granting bail to Abbas while considering the plea filed by the NIA challenging the High Court's decision.
The Madras High Court, on August 2, had granted bail to Abbas, who was arrested in connection with a criminal conspiracy case related to the banned organization PFI. However, on August 3, Abbas was arrested again based on two other FIRs filed against him.
A division bench comprising Justice M Sundar and Justice R Sakthivel of the Madras High Court allowed Abbas' appeal against the Special Court's order under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, denying him bail. The High Court dismissed another quash petition filed by the lawyer, stating that arguments related to malicious initiation of proceedings could be raised during the trial.
The High Court rejected an oral request made by the Special Public Prosecutor for a certificate for appeal to the Supreme Court under Article 134-A of the Constitution, citing that Section 43D of UAPA needed interpretation by the Supreme Court. The High Court reasoned that the Supreme Court had already provided interpretations of Section 43D in previous judgments.
Abbas was one of the five individuals arrested by the NIA in May 2023, accused of having connections with the banned organization PFI. According to the NIA, the arrests were made following extensive searches that revealed incriminating materials, including sharp-edged weapons, digital devices, and documents.
During the proceedings, it was argued that Abbas was being victimized as he regularly represented PFI in courts. The NIA countered this claim, stating that they had taken all necessary steps and had incriminating materials, including an audio clip, based on which Abbas was arrested. The Madurai Bar Association office bearers also testified that Abbas had been a regular practitioner for the past 16 years.
Upon reviewing the materials against Abbas, including the audio clip, the High Court observed that they were not sufficient to deny him bail under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA. The court further noted that the organization was banned by the government only after the FIR was filed, and PFI was not listed as a terrorist organization in the first Schedule of the Act but was declared an unlawful association.
The High Court granted bail to Abbas under the condition that he would execute a bond and provide two sureties amounting to One lakh rupees, to the satisfaction of the Special Court. He was also directed not to leave Chennai city without prior permission, to sign before the trial court daily, to use only one mobile phone during the bail period, and to surrender his passport before the trial court if he had one.
This ruling marks an important development in the ongoing legal proceedings related to the PFI case, providing clarity on the interpretation of UAPA Section 43D and reaffirming the bail granted to Abbas by the Madras High Court.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
