Kerala High Court, on June 25, rejected the bail application of nine jihadis, in connection with the murder of RSS karyakarta Sreenivasan in Palakkad. Seventeen of them got bail as the prosecution could not establish that there was prima facie case. The order was issued by Division Bench consisting of Jce. A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jce. V.K. Shaymkumar. Sreenivasan was killed on April 16, 2022. This is one of the cases which led to the ban on Popular Front of India (PFI) on September 28, 2022. Government of Bharat declared PFI as “unlawful association” and temporarily banned the outfit for five years under UAPA. Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader Karamana Ashraff Moulavi was one among the nine whose bail applications were rejected.
Nine of them were alleged to have given arms training to the jihadis and helped them to escape. Enquiries led to the conclusion that PFI men were behind the murder.
NIA has found that the accused had links with the jihadi organisations like Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). They had reportedly carried out arms training in Aluva, Karunagappalli, and Eerattupetta. NIA succeeded in establishing that they were involved in the conspiracy to kill Sreenivasan. The accused have been charged under various sections including UAPA. Those who were directly involved in the crime had not applied for the bail. Sadam Hussain, Ashraff and Noushad had helped the accused to escape. Ashraff Ali had led the arms training in Thiruvananthapuram and Aluva. E.P. Ansari organised arms training in Eerattupetta and other places.
K. Mohammed Ali, is one among those who were rejected the bail, and he has been imparting arms training to the PFI men. Yahia Thangal had led the arms training too. The document in support of SIMI had been recovered from his house. And, he had links with the accused in connection with the murders of Sajith, Renjit and Nandu.
Abdul Rauf was the PFI state secretary and Abdul Sathar the general secretary. Both had led arms training and other activities. There were hints of financial aid from sources like Abdul Nasser Madani, the prime accused in brutal Coimbatore blasts of February 14, 1998 which left 59 people dead and hundreds injured.
NIA started the enquiry in September 16, 2022 and the accused were arrested on September 26. And, the Union Government banned PFI on February 28.
NIA had submitted the documents including the messages that ‘India under Islamic rule by 2047’.
Division Bench asked the Special Court to give bail to the accused only under stringent conditions. Accused can only use one mobile phone and its GPS should be operational 24 x 7. It should be shared with the NIA officers. They cannot leave the state sans the court’s permission. Court should be furnished with the details including the place where they live. They have to report before police station every fortnight. They have to surrender their passports. They have to appear before the investigation organisation whenever it is required.
The Court order is very much significant in view of the increasing jihadism in the state and the soft approach to it from the part of the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and several murders of Hindu leaders like Sreenivasan of Palakkad and Renjith Sreenivasan of Alappuzha.
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