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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Case registered over social media posts 'threatening' Kerala CM’s security officer
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A case has been registered and a probe launched into social media posts allegedly threatening a member of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s security team with consequences once the UDF comes to power, officials said on Sunday.
The Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police registered the case based on a complaint filed by Chief Minister’s security staff member Sandeep Sasidharan.
The Congress had earlier alleged that Sandeep and another officer, Anil Kumar, brutally assaulted two Youth Congress-KSU activists including using flower pot when they protested against the Chief Minister during the Navakerala Sadas programme in Alappuzha in 2023.
A subsequent probe was conducted against both officers, and the Crime Branch later gave them a clean chit.
Recently, following the conclusion of the state assembly election on April 9, several social media posts allegedly made by Congress, Youth Congress and KSU activists claimed that revenge would be taken once the LDF government is removed and the UDF comes to power.
Police said cases have been registered against Facebook accounts named Arun Rajendran, Tom Kuriakose, Yaser KP, Sony Panamthanam, Sarath Pillai, KSU Kanjiramkulam, Rahul John C and Youth Congress Battle.
According to the FIR, the complainant’s photograph and name were used in several social media posts threatening him with consequences and containing abusive language.
Police said the social media account holders have been identified and will soon be summoned as part of the investigation.
The case has been registered under Sections 296(b) (uttering obscene words causing public annoyance), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (acts done by several persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
