By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: In yet another blow to Maharashtra Anti Terrorists Squad (ATS), Mumbai’s special court granted bail to Abdul Samad Samsher Khan, 33, in the Aurangabad arms haul case of 2006.
Arrested in May 2006, Khan is one of the eight persons to get bail in the case till now. He was granted bail on Wednesday against the surety amount of Rs 50,000.
(Courtesy: newzfirst.com)
The bail plea was moved by the lawyers of NGO Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, which provides free legal aid to Muslim youths arrested on charges of terrorism across India. The help is provided if their families approach Jamiat and, after scrutiny of the case, it is convinced that the youth is innocent.
According to the ATS, Khan was a member of the group that was behind transporting the arms in Aurangabad city of Maharashtra in May 2006 and had fled to Bangladesh after interception of the consignment of arms and explosives by state ATS.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind appointed advocate Sharif Shaikh had argued before the special MCOC court that there was insufficient evidences in the case to prove charges against Khan and that the alleged confessional statement of Khan that was recorded by ATS suffered technical fault.
“Court sided with our argument that in the absence of a certificate below a confessional statement, it cannot be relied upon,” said Shaikh’s junior advocate Shahid Ansari.
While granting bail, special Judge G T Qadri, however, asked Khan to attend court hearings and not to leave Maharashtra boundaries.
Gulzar Azmi, secretary of the legal cell of the Jamiat Ulama-Hind lauded the grant of bail and said, “It is a welcome order that will help three other pending bail applications before the court.”
Maharashtra ATS had allegedly chased an explosive laden vehicle and arrested three persons in Aurangabad on May 9, 2006. Eighteen more people were arrested later in the case. A huge cache of arms and ammunition had been seized from the vehicle and the case came to be known as the Aurangabad arms haul case of 2006.