New Delhi: A Delhi court has granted bail to
a suspected Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) militant, accused of
providing money to the alleged mastermind of the Diwali-eve
blasts here in 2005.
Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Chauhan allowed a
plea of Gulam Ahmed Khan, facing trial under the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), to be released on bail.
Khan sought bail on the ground that co-accused Farooq
Ahmed Batloo had already been released by the Delhi High
Court. Khan is accused of providing funds to Tariq Ahmed Dar,
who is facing trial in the case and is suspected to be the
mastermind of the blasts.
During the arguments, Khan's counsel R M Tufail and Anwar
A Khan contended that the accused had already served five year
jail term prescribed under law for such offence while in
judicial custody since his arrest on November 23, 2005.
They also submitted that most of the prosecution
witnesses have already been examined in the case and there was
no likelihood of influencing them.
Khan's counsels pointed out that the accused has been
suffering from mental disorder and has been treated at AIIMS
and Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS).
Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan opposed their plea on the
ground that the accused had transferred over Rs 12.5 lakh to
Dar's account at a branch of Jammu and Kashmir bank in Delhi.
The court, however, granted bail to Khan on furnishing a
personal and a surety bond of Rs 50,000 each.
"On the ground of parity as well as in the facts and the
circumstances of the case and considering the physical
condition of the accused, I am of the considered opinion that
ends of justice required that he be released on bail," the ASJ
said.
The serial blasts at three different places -- Sarojini
Nagar, Paharganj and Kalkaji -- on October 29, 2005 had
claimed 67 lives and injured over 225.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, August 26, 2010, 16:42