Mumbai News: Special Court Denies Bail To Indian Mujahideen Operative Citing National Security Threat

Mumbai: A special sessions court has refused to grant bail to Afzal Usmani, alleged to be a key accused in the 2008 Gujarat blasts and an Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, noting that he has already been awarded capital punishment by a court in connection with the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast case.

While rejecting his bail plea, the court stated, “The plea of innocence of the accused is not acceptable. The offences alleged against the accused and the co-accused in this case relate to national security. Their impact on the nation and society is quite significant.”

Usmani had approached the special court from Ahmedabad Central Prison, where he has been behind bars for 15 years, seeking bail. The prosecution objected to his plea, stating that Usmani had committed serious offences involving the use of four stolen cars for planting and detonating bombs in Ahmedabad and Surat. The applicant/accused himself had stolen the cars for that purpose and supplied them to his co-accused. He is an active associate of the Students Islamic Movement of India.

It is claimed that after the blasts, several emails were sent to multiple locations, taking responsibility for the attacks. A separate case was also registered by the Mumbai Police in connection with the IM conspiracy, in which Usmani was booked.

Usmani, however, pleaded innocence, arguing that he was being subjected to double jeopardy. However, the court clarified that the cases in Surat and Ahmedabad were based on entirely different sets of facts. While the criminal conspiracy to commit serial bomb blasts may be the same, the dates, times, and locations of the offences are distinctly separate.

After reviewing the records, the court observed that, according to the prosecution, the accused and others were trained in planting explosives and timed bombs. A substantial number of arms and ammunition was recovered from a garment factory belonging to one of the accused.

The prosecution claimed that Usmani actively participated in the conspiracy and execution of the offences, highlighting the seriousness of his involvement. Consequently, the court rejected his bail plea.

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