By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Rejecting the police charge that they were members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) group and involved in anti-nation activities, a Jalgaon district court has acquitted five Muslim youths from the Pachura Taluka of the district.
Shakil Khan Bashir Khan, Shaikh Ayyub Shaikh Rashid, Ashfaq Khan Abbas Khan, Anees Ahmad Shaikh Nizam and Mateen Kaleem Deshmukh were arrested in 2001 for their alleged relations with SIMI and being involved in anti-nation activities. They were released on bail after 15 days but their movements were constrained by the police. After four and half years the police filed charge sheet against them on March 8, 2006 and hearing of the case began in the court in 2008. About two and half years later, the local court acquitted them of the police charges last month. After hearing the arguments from both the sides Judge I J Nanda ordered that the five Muslim youths be released owing to the lack of evidence against them.
“They were released on bail after 15 days of police custody but they remained on police radar. After four and half years, the police charge sheeted them in March 2008 under various sections of UAPA act. The trial went for two and one months. For lack of evidence the court acquitted them on May 8, 2009,” their counsel Advocate Abdul Wahab told TwoCircles.net.
Though the police had prepared five panchnamas against the accused after examination of their house but it failed to prove either of them as true before the court.