E-Paper
Deport Pak national to his country: HC
Court rejects govt’s appeal to extend detention period of Taseen Azeem who was arrested from Lucknow cantonment on September 13, 2006 for spying
LUCKNOW The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court rejected the government’s appeal to extend detention period of Pakistan national, Taseen Azeem alias Lareb Khan of Karachi, and ordered to deport him to his country.
Azeem was arrested from Lucknow cantonment on September 13, 2006 on charges of spying. He was running a placement agency in the state capital to ensure recruitment of his colleagues in the Indian Army.
“In the light of the above discussions (arguments in court), we are of the considered view that since the convict/respondent has already served out the sentence awarded to him and is a foreign national without any passport or visa, therefore he must be deported to his own country unless required in any other case,” observed a division bench of Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Saroj Yadav on May 30.
“The Union of India/respondent No.3 and respondent No.4 (deputy secretary, ministry of home affairs (foreigners division) are directed to deport him to his country in accordance with law,” said the court.
Senior advocate IB Singh was appointed amicus curiae by the court to assist the petitioner. He was assisted by advocates Ishan Baghel and Veena Rajes.
The court added that the convict had served the sentence awarded to him in all the cases registered against him and therefore he cannot be kept in prison and his confinement was uncalled for.
THE CASE
Taseen Azeem, who was living in India with a fake identity of Lareb Khan, was arrested from Lucknow cantonment area by the Special Task Force of the UP Police on September 13, 2006.
The local court had awarded eight-year prison term to Azeem on charges of spying for Pakistan.
On September 1, 2014, Azeem attacked cops accompanying him when he was being taken for deportation. The incident took place in Mohanlalganj area in the state capital.
Adesh Chandra, sub-inspector, had lodged an FIR at Mohanlalganj police station on September 1, 2014 against Azeem on charges of criminal assault on a government servant. Thereafter, he was re-arrested and sent to jail.
In this case, Azeem was sentenced to four years in prison, which he completed on September 30, 2018.
“The state government had filed an appeal in the high court seeking extension of the lower court’s sentence (detention period) of eight years,” said lawyer Ishan Baghel.
“As he had completed his prison term on September 30, 2018, the high court has ordered to deport him to his country (Pakistan),” he said.
