PFI Members Accused Of Planning Attacks On Hindu Religious Organisations Denied Bail By Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court at Lucknow denied bail to appellants, alleged members of the banned radical organisation-the Popular Front of India (PFI) who were arrested by the Anti-Terror Squad for planning terror attacks on Officers of Hindu Religious Organisations.

A Bench of Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Renu Agarwal rejected the appeal and observed that the accused failed to give any satisfactory explanation with regard to the contrabands recovered from their possession.

"No satisfactory explanation has been given by the appellants, thus, it cannot be said that the involvement of the appellants in their nefarious designs could be ruled out" said the Court.

In this case, an FIR was lodged against the appellants who were arrested by the Anti-Terror Squad, Lucknow for offences under Sections 120-B, 121-A Indian Penal Code, 1860, Sections 13, 16, 18, 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, Sections 3/4/5 of the Explosive Substance Act, 1908 and Sections 3/25 Arms Act, 1959. Upon the arrest of the appellants, various items were recovered from their possession such as a pistol, live cartridges, rods of high quality explosive, explosive ER FO devices with battery, electronic detonator, and a diary written in Malayalam.

This appeal was preferred against the order of the Trial Court wherein second bail application was dismissed.

Senior Advocate A.P. Singh appeared for the appellants and submitted that the recovery of contraband articles from the possession of the appellants was a false and a planted one as there were no independent or public witnesses and all the eighteen witnesses as per the chargesheet were witnesses of the police.

AGA S.N. Tilahari appeared for the State-respondent and submitted that information was received from a informer that the members of PFI would be meeting to plan and commit murder of people and office Office Holders of Hindu Religious Organizations and create fear and terror in the Society. Thereafter, a Special Task Force was constituted and the accused were arrested.

The AGA further apprised the Court of the fact that the appellants had admitted that they were active members of PFI and that their aim was to give training to the people to fight against Hindu Religious Organisations and to promote the ideology of PFI and that a diary was recovered from the accused wherein words 'attack', 'burning', 'US', 'Ram Mandir', 'defense', 'enemy knows everything', we should prepare', Muslims are strong', 'the root of coming our area leader', and 'conspiracy' were written and their aim, object and ideology was also disclosed.

The Court after considering the recovery made from the appellants of objectionable articles including explosive substances, their criminal antecedents, and the fact that the trial was in progress and was at the stage of framing of charges, refused to grant them bail.

Accordingly, the appeal was dismissed and the Trial Court was directed to expedite the trial and conclude the same within a period of one year.

Cause Title- Ansad Badruddin & Anr. v. State of UP Thru. Pri. Secy. Home Lucknow And 2 Ors.

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