Islamist leader and prime accused in the 2008 Bangalore bombings case Abdul Nasser Madani on Monday returned to Kerala to meet his ailing mother after getting relaxation in bail terms from the Supreme Court. This is his second visit to the State in just over two years. Madani was arrested by the Karnataka Police in the bombings case from Anvarssery, his operational base in Kollam and was put in a Bangalore prison in August, 2010.
“Ray of justice seem to have started appearing. I believe that the sun of justice will soon rise,” Madani said after landing at the Kochi airport from Bangalore. He immediately left for Anvarssery where he would stay for five days, the time allotted to him to be with his mother, Azma Beevi. He visited his parents at his ancestral home in Mynagappally, Kollam late Monday night.
"I am happy that I have been given an opportunity to meet my ailing mother and father. I am grateful to all Keralites who supported me, the independent media of Kerala and my lawyers for this," Madani said. On his earlier trip to Kerala on bail in 2013, he had said, "My bail should not be seen as a sign of dawn of justice."
However, he was careful to keep himself away from making controversial comments. Asked whether he thought that the Karnataka Government was deliberately delaying the trial in the case against him, he said, "I don't want to speak about that," adding that he had full trust in the Judiciary. A team of Karnataka Police officials is accompanying him in the Kerala trip.
Generating a feeling that he did not want any drama to be created over his brief visit, he limited his response to the hundreds of supporters who had gathered at the Kochi airport to receive him to just a wave of his hand. When the supporters tried to express their happiness at seeing him through slogan-shouting, Madani discouraged them through senior PDP leaders.
On his previous visit to Kerala on March 10, 2013 to attend his daughter Shameera's wedding, Madani had triggered a scandal by allegedly violating the conditions of bail. He had used the Kutuba associated with the marriage to criticise the judiciary and the police. He had then said the court had granted him bail not because of its generosity but because it had no other option.
Madani had left Bangalore, where he was undergoing treatment at a hospital for diabetes, at 9.00 am on Monday.