Court refuses bail to lawyer with alleged PFI links

A special NIA court rejected the bail application of lawyer Sadique Qureshi, arrested for alleged links with the banned PFI. The court stated that Qureshi was involved in unlawful activities, including collecting funds for the PFI and administering its activities. The defence argued that Qureshi was unaware of the organization's activities, but the prosecution claimed that he was the administrator of all the activities. Qureshi was booked under various sections of the IPC and the UAPA.

MUMBAI: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday rejected the bail application of 42-year-old lawyer Sadique Qureshi who was arrested last year for alleged links with the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

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“The act of the applicant (Sadique Qureshi) was not limited to providing legal help to the PFI organisation, but it appears from the material placed on record that he was involved in unlawful activities. The applicant was having active participation in unlawful activities and was collecting funds for PFI organisation. He was arranging various programmes and administering the activities of PFI,” special judge BD Shelke said while rejecting Qureshi’s bail plea.

The defence had applied for bail on grounds that he had been made into a scapegoat by the investigating agency due to political pressure. He contended that he was a legal practitioner, engaged in social activities, and that some of the co-accused and witnesses in the case were his clients, but he was unaware of their involvement in such activities of the organisation.

“Mere membership of PFI is not an offence, it must be established that the organisation is engaged in terrorist activities. There is no material on record showing that activities carried out by the PFI were banned activities. There is no document showing what plan was hatched against the nation by members of the gang,” the defence claimed.

Rebutting the claims, special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves, who represented the state, submitted that on September 27, 2022, a notification was issued by the government of India banning the PFI. “Many members from the Mohammedan community from different cities were office bearers and members of this organisation. They were in contact with each other. The applicant was the administrator of all the activities. Everything was done according to his advice and guidance,” Gonsalves said.

According to the secret information received by the Anti-Terrorist Squad, Kalachowky, Qureshi, along with accused Mazhar Khan, Momin Hussain, Mohmmad Khan, Mohmmad Adhikar and several others was conspiring to commit anti-national activities and was organising programmes throughout the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Thane, Mumbra, Trombay and Vashi between February 2022 and June 2022.

Qureshi was said to be the legal advisor of the group who was disseminating knowledge and arranging lectures on ways to escape from the law. It was further alleged that the accused were intending to establish an Islamic State by converting the Constitution of India into Shariat Law.

The prosecution also claimed that the accused were training youngsters to use weapons under the guise of a health programme were rely on foreign aid to disturb the harmony of the country.

Qureshi was booked under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence. language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the Indian Penal Code and section 13(1)(b) (punishment for unlawful activities) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.