Supreme Court upholds bail for man accused of terror links
New Delhi: The Supreme Court recently upheld the bail granted to Asif Musthaheen, who was arrested on charges of ISIS links, support for Al-Qaeda ideology, and plotting to kill members of Hindu organizations. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan ruled in favor of maintaining the bail, primarily due to Asif's prolonged incarceration since July 2022. However, the Court expunged certain remarks made by the Madras High Court regarding evidentiary matters and legal interpretations.
The Court clarified that observations about the evidentiary value of text messages and whether offenses under Section 38(2) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were made out should not be treated as precedents. "Such observations by the High Court while deciding a bail application are apparently out of context," the bench stated.
Asif's defense argued that his detention violated Article 21 of the Constitution due to procedural delays in the prosecution process. The defense also contended that no incriminating evidence beyond a mobile phone had been recovered and that the allegations, even if true, did not constitute terrorism under the UAPA.
In contrast, the prosecution emphasized the severity of the charges, noting Asif’s alleged ideological alignment with Al-Qaeda and proximity to an ISIS-linked co-accused. The High Court, however, found that there was no clear evidence tying Asif to an active terrorist conspiracy, distinguishing between personal associations and actual involvement in terrorist activities.
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BMTC collects over Rs 19 lakh as fine from those travelling without tickets, occupying ladies seat
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has collected over Rs 19 lakh as a penalty from 10,069 passengers who were penalised for travelling without tickets and occupying seats exclusively reserved for ladies in the last three months, officials said on Thursday.
The checking staff of BMTC have intensified checking of buses operated in and around Bengaluru City to detect ticketless travelling by passengers, they said.
According to BMTC, during the months of August, September and October, the checking staff checked 57,219 trips and penalised 8,891 ticketless passengers by collecting Rs 17,96,030 as penalty and 5,268 cases were booked against conductors for their dereliction of duty.
During the same period, they have also penalised 1,178 male passengers for occupying seats exclusively reserved for lady passengers and imposed fines by collecting Rs 1,17,800 in accordance with the KMV (Karnataka Motor Vehicle) Rules of the MV Act of 1988.
"In total, during the months of August, September and October, 10,069 passengers were penalised and Rs 19,13,830 was collected," the BTMC officials stated.
