The Delhi High Court denied bail to three members of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen who were allegedly associated with the 2008 serial bomb blasts across India.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court refused to grant bail to three individuals affiliated with the terror group Indian Mujahideen, who were implicated in the 2008 serial bomb blasts across India. The court’s decision affects Mubeen Kadar Shaikh, Saquib Nisar, and Mansoor Ashgar Peerbhoy, who have been accused of roles in these devastating attacks.
The refusal to grant bail was issued by a Division Bench consisting of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Shalinder Kaur for Shaikh and Nisar, and by another bench comprising Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain for Peerbhoy. The court evaluated the gravity of the allegations against the accused and determined that their release on bail was not justified.
Furthermore, the High Court issued instructions to the trial court, which has been overseeing the proceedings against the trio. The trial court has been conducting hearings every Saturday, but the High Court emphasized the need for a more accelerated process, mandating sessions at least twice a week.
This directive was rooted in the principle that a “right to speedy trial is the accused’s right,” especially considering their extended detention since 2008.
During the proceedings, the court sought updates on the trial’s progress from the Additional Public Prosecutor for the State, who provided detailed statistics. The court was informed that out of 497 cited witnesses, 198 were dropped, and 282 have been examined, leaving only 17 witnesses remaining. Based on this, the court mandated the following:
“This Court prior to dictating of the present appeal raised a query to learned Additional Public Prosecutor for State with regard to specific stage of the trial. We are informed that total 497 witnesses were cited, out of which 198 witnesses were dropped and so far 282 witnesses have already been examined and only 17 witnesses are left to be examined. We are informed that the learned Special Court is conducting proceedings on every Saturday so as to expedite conclusion of trial, which is already at its fag end. However, in the peculiar facts of the present case and keeping in view that the appellant is behind bars since the 2008, we direct the concerned Special Court to conclude the trial in the present matter by taking it up at least twice a week,”
-the Court ordered.
Shaikh and Peerbhoy were accused of operating within the media cell of Indian Mujahideen and were allegedly responsible for sending threatening communications titled “Message of Death” to various media organizations in India and Pakistan. These messages boasted of “intense, accurate and successive bomb attacks” that would occur five minutes post-dispatch.
Nisar, on the other hand, faced accusations of orchestrating the conspiracy that led to the serial blasts in Delhi, which resulted in 26 fatalities. He was purportedly stationed in a flat at Batla House to manage communications, ensuring the plotters could mislead the authorities during their investigation. According to the prosecution,
“Nisar was assigned the task to remain in a flat at Batla House and answer the phone calls of his associates so that they could bluff the investigating agencies.”
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