Supporters of Islamist leader Abdul Nasser Madani, PDP chairman and prime accused in the Bangalore bombings case, feel that the Supreme Court verdict granting one month’s conditional bail to him considering his worsening health condition despite the Karnataka Government’s stiff opposition could be prelude to his getting permanent bail.
A bench of the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Madani under strict conditions though the Karnataka Government argued that his release at this point would adversely affect the trial in the case. As per the bail conditions, Madani cannot leave Bangalore and the Karnataka Government will have the authority to monitor his activities during the bail period.
Reports indicated that the PDP and other supporters of Madani had already started examining the possibilities of using the granting of temporary bail as a legal means to getting permanent bail for him. This is the second time Madani, 31st accused in the bombings case, is getting short-term bail since his arrest and detention four years back.
“This is not the apex court’s final verdict on Madani’s bail petition. We believe that there is every chance that he may get bail when the court takes up the petition again,” said former leftist MP Sebastian Paul, also leader of the Justice for Madani Forum, a forum providing legal and other help to him.
Madani’s wife Sufiya, an accused in the case pertaining to the burning of a Tamil Nadu bus at Kalamassery off Kochi in September, 2005, said she and her family were happy that the court had granted bail to him. Sufiya said that Friday’s Supreme Court order gave her the confidence that they would be able to convince the judiciary about Madani’s “innocence”.
“He was arrested in one Ramadan month. Now he has got bail in this Ramadan,” she said. Sufiya, who is not allowed to go out of Ernakulam district as per her bail conditions in the bus-burning case, may approach the court for special permission for travelling to Bangalore so that she could assist Madani while he undergoes treatment.
A team of Bangalore Police officials had arrested Madani from Anvarssery, his operational headquarters in Kollam district of Kerala, on August 17, 2010 amidst a huge security drama. He was directly flown to Bangalore from Thiruvananthapuram the same evening and has been under detention at the Parappana Agrahara prison outside Bangalore since then.
When the Congress came to power in Karnataka, Madani and the PDP had hoped that it would take a softer approach to him. However, the Congress Government’s position was tougher than that of its BJP predecessor and the Karnataka Home Minister, a Keralite by origin, held that there could be no change in the course of a court case because of changes in government. Harris Meeran, one of the lawyers of Madani, said that he viewed the granting of the short-term bail as the first victory in the legal battle for the PDP leader. About the condition that Madani should not leave Bangalore, he said they also were of the opinion that it was good for the case in the future.
Reports suggested that the PDP would make Madani use his confinement to Bangalore during the bail period under the watchful eyes of the government to his advantage by indulging in no activity that could cause the slightest doubts about his conduct and convince the court that there would be no problem if he was given bail permanently.