Three years after arrest, HC grants bail to youth arrested by UP ATS over alleged Al-Qaeda links
Lucknow: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has granted bail to Mohd Kamil, a Saharanpur resident who was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in October 2022 for alleged links with the banned militant organisation Al-Qaeda.
Kamil was among eight men arrested during a series of ATS raids, in which the agency had claimed to have busted a “sleeper cell” that was allegedly planning attacks in Lucknow and other cities across the state.
A division bench comprising Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary granted bail to Kamil after finding grounds in his favour.
Kamil’s counsels Advocates Furkan Pathan, Arif Ali, Mujahid Ali, and Saif Ali argued that the ATS had no substantive evidence to support its claims. They told the court that the case was based on “conjecture and unverified allegations” rather than any concrete proof linking Kamil to terrorist activity.
“The prosecution failed to demonstrate any direct involvement of the accused in terrorist activity or possession of any incriminating material. Hence, the default bail was granted by the honourable court,” Advocate Saif Ali was quoted as saying by Maktoobmedia.com.
He further explained that the chargesheet was not filed within 90 days of Kamil’s arrest, which entitled him to default bail under law.
While granting bail, the High Court observed that prolonged incarceration without trial violates an individual’s fundamental right to liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court also stated that mere allegations, without sufficient supporting evidence, cannot justify continued detention.
The ATS has not yet issued a statement regarding the court’s decision. A detailed order is awaited.
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J&K: One dead, seven hospitalised after consuming wild vegetable in Rajouri
Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): One person died while seven others, mostly children, were hospitalised after allegedly consuming a wild vegetable in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Saturday.
The incident was reported from Mohra village in the Kotranka subdivision, where members of two families consumed a wild vegetable following which they started showing symptoms of food poisoning on Friday evening, they said.
The affected persons were initially shifted to the Community Health Centre in Kandi and later referred to the Government Medical College Hospital Rajouri for specialised treatment.
Officials said an elderly man, identified as Mohammad Hussain (60), died during treatment, while seven other members of the two families are undergoing treatment at the hospital.
“Prima facie, it is a case of food poisoning, but the matter is still under investigation,” a doctor said.
Officials said an investigation into the incident has been initiated to determine the exact cause of the poisoning.
