Delhi Police opposes suspected Indian Mujahideen's bail pleas in SC

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Wednesday "strongly opposed" in the Supreme Court the plea filed by a suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) member, who was deported from Saudi Arabia in 2012, seeking bail in connection with a case relating to setting up of an alleged illegal arms factory in Delhi.

The police told a bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Navin Sinha that they would file their response on the plea by accused Fasih Mahmood, who has challenged the Delhi High Court order denying him bail in the case.

"I am strongly opposing it. This is not a normal matter," the counsel representing the police told the bench. The court granted two weeks' time to the police to file their response on the plea and asked the petitioner to file a rejoinder to the reply within a week thereafter.

The apex court said the matter will be listed for hearing after three weeks. On April 17, the high court had dismissed the bail plea of Mahmood, who is alleged to be an aide of IM co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, observing that there was no valid reason to grant him the relief considering the gravity of offence and serious allegation against him.

The high court had also noted that accused has already been denied bail earlier by the high court as well as the apex court. The Special Cell of Delhi Police had alleged that a huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from an illegal arms factory located in Meer Vihar area here. It had also claimed that Bhatkal and others, including Mahmood, were part of the conspiracy to carry out terror strikes in the country. The accused has denied all the allegations.

Mahmood, a mechanical engineer by profession, was alleged to be one of the key members of the IM's dreaded Darbhanga module which had carried out various terror strikes in the country since 2008. The police had alleged that he was the "motivator" for driving the youth to join the IM and had charge sheeted him for offences under the Indian Penal Code, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Mahmood was deported from Saudi Arabia and was arrested at the IGI Airport here on October 22, 2012. He was detained in Saudi Arabia in May 2012.