Kerala HC Grants Bail To Youth Congress Leader Accused Of Hurling Bomb At CPM State Headquarters

The Kerala High Court today granted bail to a local Youth Congress leader arrested in connection with the attack on AKG Centre, the state headquarters of the ruling CPI(M) in Thiruvananthapuram on June 30, this year. The Court passed the order in a plea moved by the accused Jithin, 31.

Granting bail to the accused, the High Court observed that the accused was in custody of the investigating agency from September 23 and it was of the opinion that further detention of the petitioner was not required for the purpose of the investigation.

Justice Viju Abraham, however, imposed stringent bail conditions, taking note of the apprehensions raised by the public prosecutor and considering the criminal antecedents of the accused.

Advocate V.S. Chandrashekharan appeared for the accused while Public Prosecutor Nima Jacob appeared for the state. 

The conditions included execution of a bond for a sum of Rs 50,000 each with two solvent sureties each for the like sum to the satisfaction of the jurisdictional court, appearance of the accused before the investigating officer in Crime Branch of Cantonment Police station every Saturday at 11 AM and surrender of his passport before the jurisdictional court.

The Court also directed the accused not to make attempt to interfere with the investigation or to influence or intimidate any witness in Crime Branch and not to leave the jurisdictional limits of Thiruvananthapuram district except with the prior permission of the jurisdictional court and not to involve in any other crime while on bail.

If any of the conditions are violated, the investigating officer in the Crime Branch of Cantonment Police Station, Thiruvananthapuram district may file an application before the jurisdictional court, for cancellation of bail, the High Court said in the order.

The probe was transferred to the Crime Branch after three weeks of the incident on June 30 when an unidentified person hurled an explosive substance towards the office compound of the AKG Centre.

The Marxist party had alleged that the Congress was behind the incident, which the latter denied.

A case was registered with the Cantonment police station on July 1 in this regard under Section 436 of the Indian Penal Code (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.) and Section 3(a) of the Explosive Substances Act (causing explosion likely to endanger life or property).

Police had said the explosive substance was hurled at the AKG Centre, situated in the heart of the capital city, by a motorbike-borne man at around 11.30 PM on June 30.

Cause Title: Jithin @ Kannan v. State of Kerala & Anr

Click here to read/download Order. 

With PTI inputs