The Kerala Government will not oppose the bail application of Islamist leader Abdul Nasser Madani, 31st accused in the Bangalore bombings case and chairman of State-based PDP, when it comes up in the Supreme Court on Monday.
The Kerala Government’s position in the court will be that the issue of granting bail to Madani has nothing to do with it but the State’s standing counsel will inform the court orally that it has no objections to granting bail to the Islamist leader if its opinion is sought.
He will tell the apex court that the Government is prepared to arrange all necessary security measures for Madani in the State if he is granted bail. The Government will inform the court of this in a written affidavit if it gives a direction.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram last week which was chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The State Government’s position is that the Madani case is a legal issue between him and the Karnataka Government and that Kerala need not show undue interest in it.
The Karnataka Government will file an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday requesting it not to grant bail to Madani. Bangalore’s position is that Madani, a political leader with immense influence, may try to derail the trial proceedings in the case if released on bail. Madani’s pleas for bail had been rejected by Karnataka courts earlier.
Madani has been appealing for bail pointing at his deteriorating health but the Karnataka Government’s argument is that his only health problems are those related to his advancing age. It will also inform the court that he could not be admitted to any private specialty hospital due to security risks but could be given treatment at a government hospital.
The Congress-led UDF Government in Kerala had till a few weeks ago been of the opinion that everything possible should be done to help Madani get release from the Parappana Agrahara jail outside Bangalore where he had been detained as an accused in the Bangalore blasts case since his arrest from Kollam over three years ago.
The Government had come to this position after various political parties, especially the Muslim league. put pressure on it for this. However, the State Government shifted itself to adopting a safe stance after the new Congress Government in Karnataka made it clear that it could not adopt a different stand on Madani from the one the previous BJP government had taken.
Though the case is between the Islamist leader and the Karnataka Government, the Supreme Court had sent notice to the Kerala Government considering Madani’s plea to implead it in the case. Madani was arrested on August 17, 2010 by Karnataka Police officials from Anvarssery, his operational headquarters in Kollam district, at the end of a ten-day security drama.
The court will also take up a plea, filed by TG Mohandas, former general secretary of RSS think tank Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram, opposing Madani’s bail application. Mohandas has said that granting bail to Madani could derail the case registered against him for attempting to murder Kendram director P Parameswaran and Fr Alavi, who had left Islam to embrace Christianity.
The Ernakulam North police in Kochi had on October 3 registered a case for attempt to murder Parameswaran and Fr Alavi naming the Islamist leader and one Ashraf as first and second accused respectively. As per the case, Madani had sent Ashraf as hitman after giving him money to kill Parameswaran.
The alleged attempt of Madani to murder Parameswaran had come to light through a statement reportedly given by one Muhammad whom the Town Police in Kozhikode had interrogated in connection with an extremism-oriented case. According to Mohandas, Kerala’s social harmony could be adversely affected if Madani is released on bail.
