A special court in Kochi on Wednesday rejected the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) plea for cancellation of the bail to Alan Shuhaib, who was arrested over alleged Maoists links in Kerala’s Pantheernakavu in 2019.
NIA sought the cancellation two months back citing a criminal case registered against Shuhaib over alleged ragging at a law college in Kannur last year. Shuhaib, a student at the college, was released on conditional bail in 2020.
The court ruled the ragging case will not lead to the bail cancellation. It pointed out Shuhaib has also filed a complaint saying the case was fabricated to get his bail cancelled.
NIA cited social media posts and said Shuhaib was in touch with Maoist leaders. The court rejected it but warned Shuhaib against any illegal activities.
The Students Federation of India (SFI) filed a complaint against Shuhaib alleging he and his friends assaulted some students at the college after ragging. Shuhaib said he only tried to save the complainant in the matter from SFI activists.
Shuhaib’s lawyer said a police officer was forced to register the ragging case and inform the NIA to get his client’s bail cancelled. He pointed out a senior leader of SFI gave a speech on the campus that Shuhaib will be in jail soon.
{{/usCountry}}Shuhaib’s lawyer said a police officer was forced to register the ragging case and inform the NIA to get his client’s bail cancelled. He pointed out a senior leader of SFI gave a speech on the campus that Shuhaib will be in jail soon.
{{/usCountry}}Shuhaib and his friend Thaha Fazal were expelled from SFI after their arrest over alleged Maoist links. The Kerala Police arrested them in November 2019 before the case was handed over to NIA. NIA booked them under stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that “both were Maoists.” Shuhaib was 21 when he was arrested. In 2020, the two were released on bail with the court observing that mere possession of notices or pamphlets is not solid evidence to prove their Maoist involvement.