Today(20th Sept), The Supreme Court sought a response from the NIA on the bail plea of Abubacker E, former chief of the banned PFI, after the Delhi High Court denied his request. The court emphasized that any relief could only be considered on medical grounds, given the serious charges against him.
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NEW DELHI: Today(20th Sept), The Supreme Court of India called for a response from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding a bail plea submitted by Abubacker E, the former chief of the now-banned organization Popular Front of India (PFI). This move comes after Abubacker’s appeal against an earlier rejection of his bail plea by the Delhi High Court.
A Bench consisting of Justices MM Sundresh and Aravind Kumar observed the seriousness of the charges levied against Abubacker. While acknowledging the grave nature of the allegations, the court made it clear that any potential relief could only be considered on medical grounds.
The charges stem from Abubacker’s alleged involvement in activities linked to terrorism, particularly through his leadership in PFI, which has been accused of connections with global terror organizations like ISIS. PFI was officially banned by the Indian government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in September 2022.
In May of this year, the Delhi High Court denied bail to Abubacker, who was arrested by the NIA during a nationwide crackdown on PFI and its affiliates in September 2022. The crackdown was part of a broader effort by the NIA to dismantle what they referred to as a “criminal conspiracy” orchestrated by the PFI to promote terrorism within the country.
Abubacker’s legal team, represented by Senior Advocate Aditya Sondhi and Advocate D. Kumanan, took the case to the apex court following the High Court’s decision. The appeal cited health concerns, given Abubacker’s advanced age and deteriorating medical condition.
The NIA has made numerous accusations against PFI and its members.
According to the investigative agency-
“PFI and its leaders were accused of orchestrating a criminal conspiracy to raise funds for conducting terror-related activities.”
They also asserted that the organization was involved in conducting training camps with the goal of indoctrinating and preparing its members to commit acts of terrorism across India.
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Abubacker, who was arrested on September 22, 2022, is a key figure in this investigation. The agency’s crackdown, which ultimately led to the PFI ban on September 28, was seen as part of a broader effort to curb domestic terrorism with links to international networks such as ISIS.
Abubacker, who is 70 years old, has sought bail primarily on health grounds. In his bail plea, his defense pointed out that he is a cancer survivor currently battling Parkinson’s disease. During his custody, Abubacker had made multiple visits to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for medical treatment. Given his frail health, his lawyers argued that his continued detention in jail was unjust and requested that he be allowed to live under house arrest instead.
The Supreme Court has agreed to examine this request, but the bench emphasized that the allegations against Abubacker are serious. It was made clear that any decision to grant relief would be considered purely on medical grounds, and not based on the merits of the criminal charges.
The NIA has strongly opposed the bail plea. During the hearing in the High Court, the agency had argued that Abubacker’s involvement in the criminal conspiracy was significant and that –
“camps were being organized to train cadre for illegal activities.”
Furthermore, the NIA contended that releasing Abubacker could hamper ongoing investigations and make it difficult to get testimonies from witnesses.
“There are several cases pending against Abubacker,”
– the NIA pointed out,
adding-
“If he is released, nobody will dare to depose against him.”