By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
For the past four years, Abdul Wahid Shaikh has enjoyed a relatively free life, working first towards becoming a lawyer and then becoming a well-known author.
But it seems that the dark phase of his life when he was in jail for close to a decade under terror conspiracy charges-refuses to leave him alone, and he is knocking the door of the Delhi High Court again.
Towards the end of September, Wahid Shaikh, a lawyer and now a well-known author, came to know that his name had been listed as a ‘convict’ in an order imposing a ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) by a tribunal of the Delhi High Court in July 2019. This, even though he was declared innocent and cleared of all charges by a special court in 2015 and has been free since. More importantly, the order acquitting Shaikh of all charges was never challenged by the Maharashtra Police, the Maharashtra government or the Anti-Terrorist Squad.
Shaikh’s name came up during the order passed by a tribunal which upheld the 2001 ban on Students Islamic Movement of India and extended the same for another five years. This tribunal had been appointed in February 2019 by the Central Government.
Shaikh, who spoke at length with this correspondent, said, “The order upholding the ban on SIMI was published in the Official Gazette in August, but I saw it only in September. I had not paid much attention to this case until then because I was not involved and I had neither been alerted by the authorities nor even called on this issue. The Tribunal’s hearing took place in Delhi while I was home in Mumbai.” Wahid also said that he failed to understand why this case was brought up at all. “The tribunal was hearing both the government and the SIMI lawyer over what had happened between 2014 and 2019 with regards to SIMI activities. Then why was this case brought up when it is from 2006?” he asked.
Shaikh added that he initially was not sure where to file his appeal but finally decided that it was best to do so in the Delhi High Court. “The tribunal was set up in Delhi so I thought it was best to appeal against the same in Delhi too,” Shaikh added.
Shaikh told TwoCircles.net that when he found his name as a convict, he was initially angry but also slightly fearful. “Why would they put my name in it when I have already been acquitted? Are they trying to implicate me again in some false case? I want my name removed at the earliest,” he added.
It is important to point out that Wahid Shaikh was arrested in 2006 by the Anti-Terrorist Squad in connection with the 2005 Mumbai suburban train blasts. He remains the only person acquitted in this case by the Special Court.
In his petition to the Delhi High Court, Wahid said he wants his name to be removed from the order at the earliest. He also said that the officer who submitted this piece of information should accept his mistake or he should be served with a show-cause notice. Else, Wahid will file a case of defamation against the officer.