Arrested in B'lore terror case, DRDO scientist gets bail

Aijaj Ahmed Mirza asked to surrender his passport

Following the release of two of the 15 arrested in the Bangalore terror module case as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) dropped all charges against them, stating it had no prosecutable evidence, the NIA Special Court on Thursday granted bail to another, Aijaj Ahmed Mirza, who was working as a junior scientist with DRDO before his arrest.

NIA, which took over the probe into the terror module case from Central Crime Branch, Bangalore in December, had filed charge sheets in the case at the NIA Special Court, Bangalore on February 20. 

Of the 15 arrested, NIA had not filed charge sheet against four - Muthi-ur-Rehman Siddiqui, Syed Yusuf Nalaband, Mirza and Syed Tanzeem. Of the four, NIA had said there was no prosecutable evidence against Siddiqui and Nalaband and had dropped all charges against them, leading to their release from jail.

However, though NIA had not filed a charge sheet against Mirza, it had not cleared his name yet. 

It had said that investigation was pending against him and had requested for more time to thoroughly probe his involvement. Syed Tanzeem was arrested only on November 4, 2012. Hence, NIA still has a month’s time to file a charge sheet against him. 

Yet to file charge sheet

As the investigating agency failed to file a charge sheet against Mirza in the stipulated maximum timeframe of 180 days, his counsel Akmal Razvi and team moved for statutory bail for him at the NIA Special Court on Thursday. 

NIA opposed the bail, pleading for more time to investigate him. Justice Somnath R Sindhagi, who heard arguments from both sides, granted bail to Aijaj.

He is expected to be released on Friday after the court order reaches the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, where he has been lodged. 

The court has imposed two conditions for granting bail to Mirza - two security bonds of Rs 25,000 each have to be furnished; he should surrender his passport to the court. 

He is the elder brother of Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, who the investigating agencies have alleged is one of the main conspirators in the terror module. However, NIA has failed to find any prosecutable evidence against the elder Mirza.