Govt: Maudany's men intimidating witnesses

The Karnataka government has claimed before the Supreme Court that the supporters of Kerala’s People’s Democratic Party leader Abdul Nasser Maudany, who was granted conditional bail in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts case, tried to “intimidate” it as well as the witnesses, by organising a public meeting in Bangalore.

It urged the Supreme Court to cancel his conditional bail.

Maudany, 49, who had been lodged in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison Bangalore since August 26, 2010, was ordered to be released on July 11 for a period of one month by the apex court for treatment of his ailments, including for eye surgery. The police were allowed to keep him  and his visitors under surveillance. His bail was later extended on August 11 for two weeks.

Responding to the court’s notice on his plea for further extension of bail, the State Home department submitted that if the bail was granted to the petitioner, he would “definitely exert pressure” on the witnesses as the trial was still on. A bench of Justices J Chelameswar and A K Sikri is to hear the matter on Friday. 

In an affidavit, the State government sought direction to send Maudany to judicial custody, contending that his followers from Kerala and others convened a public function at the Freedom Park in Bangalore demanding his release and only to intimidate the State government in general and witnesses in particular.

They also defended their decision refusing his plea to offer ‘Eid’ prayer at Shivajinagar Idgah Maidan on July 29, saying that since more than two lakh people from the community gathered there at the particular time, it was difficult to provide him security. He was, however, given an option to offer his prayer elsewhere.

The government also pointed out that Maudany had made a “farce ground” to secure bail pleading that he wanted himself to be treated at a super-speciality hospital.

 Instead, he continued to take treatment at Soukya Holistic Health Centre, which provided ayurvedic treatment. The government had earlier told the court that it paid Rs 16.08 lakh for the medical treatment of the wheel-chair bound petitioner.