One-month bail to Maudany

The Supreme Court on Friday granted one-month interim bail to Abdul Nasser Maudany, the leader of Kerala’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who has been jailed in connection with the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts, accepting his plea that he needs urgent eye surgery. 

“The petitioner be enlarged on bail for one month from today,” a bench of Justices J Chelameswar and A K Sikri ruled and put such conditions as that he would not leave Bangalore, and provide his address to the State government, which would be free to watch him to prevent him from contacting any witnesses in the case. The court also asked Maudany to post a Rs one lakh bond for his release. 

Appearing for Maudany, advocate Prashant Bhushan pleaded that the medical condition of his wheelchair-bound client had worsened in jail as he had diabetes and various heart ailments. Maudany risks losing his eyesight if not operated on, Bhushan said, stressing that his client was not involved in the blasts.

Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, representing Karnataka government, claimed that Maudany was the “mastermind” of the blasts and was wanted in four cases in other cities. The bench, however, asked the counsel to confine his arguments to the petitioner’s medical condition. 

To this, Ramachandran said that Maudany had been provided with the “best” medical care as the State government paid over Rs 16 lakh for his treatment. He expressed the fear that if Maudany was released on bail, he could “influence” the witnesses and might get in touch with the absconding accused who were “hiding in Pakistan, Muscat and Bangladesh.” 

The counsel also contended that Maudany had showed “sheer recalcitrance” by refusing to be admitted to hospital. Bhushan retorted that the State government had forcibly removed Maudany from hospital. He also said there was no chance his client could abscond or influence any witness as the Kerala government had assured to provide him security. 

After hearing the arguments, the court provided relief to Maudany by giving one-month interim bail. The bench posted for hearing his special leave petition against the Karnataka High Court’s order rejecting his bail, on August 11. 

Forty-nine-year-old Maudany has been lodged in the Central Prison, Bangalore, in the case since August, 26, 2010. He earlier spent more than nine years in jail in the Coimbatore blasts case before being acquitted.