Former president of the banned outfit Deendar Anjuman Maulana Jaffar Sadiq lives in Bangalore. He is 85 and is “not a relative” of the founder of the sect, Syed Siddique Deendar Channabasaveshwar.

“Maulana Sadiq is originally from Hyderabad but is living in Bangalore because of medical reasons. He is not keeping good health. Since the ban in 2000, he has stopped his preaching. He is a dervish (spiritual preacher) and was into preaching universal harmony and peace,” said Dr Basheeruddin Ahmed, former ex-officio secretary to the sect.

He, along with Maulana Syed Basha, ex general secretary of Deendar Anjuman, proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, had deposed before the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal for Deendar Anjuman, during the preliminary hearing in Bangalore on Monday. The Tribunal, headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal of the Delhi High Court, will hold hearing till December 22. The tribunal reviews the ban every four years.

Three witnesses from the State — ACP, Hubli Shankar Pratapan, Mahmood Tadakod, police inspector, Hubli Town, Ashok Naik, police inspector, Saundatti, Belgaum district, deposed before the Tribunal on Tuesday.

They said that though they have information that the members of the Anjuman were still active in creating communal discord, they did not have enough proof.

Defence counsel Mushtaq Ahmad, advocate on record, Central government counsel in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, said that the sect has been “wrongly charged” as a terrorist organisation because the police could not get the real culprits. “They found a scapegoat in the Anjuman people, most of who are poor, simple and innocent. They are into spreading universal peace and harmony,” he said.

When asked about the involvement of the members of the Anjuman in the blast, Ahmad said if some members were even involved in the heinous activity, it does not make the organisation “militant.”

Prosecution lawyer HN Nilogal, special counsel for Government of Karnataka, said that four cases of church blasts in Bangalore are being tried in Special court at Parapana Agrahara. Five cases are being tried in a Hubli local court, one in Tumkur and one in Saundatti (Belgaum district) is under investigation. “The accused are in jail and they are members of Anjuman,” said Mr Nilogal.

In 2000, there were three bomb blasts in Karnataka - St Luther’s Church in Keshavapur, Hubli, at St Andrew’s Church at Wadi, Gulbarga district and the at St Peter and Paul’s Church at JJ Nagar, Bangalore. There were no casualties, but all  churches were damaged.