2008 Bengaluru blast case: Maudany moves SC to relax bail conditions

Kerala’s People Democratic Party leader Abdul Nazir Maudany has approached the Supreme Court to modify his bail conditions in the 2008 Bengaluru blast case to allow him to visit and stay in his home state.

In an application, 56-year-old Maudany, through advocates Haris Beeran and R S Jena, stated that it was just and necessary to relax the bail conditions on account of recent developments of the cases being dragged due to various reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic.

While granting bail to him on July 11, 2014, the top court had directed him not to leave the city of Bengaluru.

He said the progress of the case was crawling at a snail’s pace due to various reasons, including recall of witnesses and transfer of prosecutor and trial judges thrice and now on account of Covid-19. For the last year, recording of the statement of the accused was underway. At present, his presence in the trial was not required, he claimed in the application.

He also claimed that there was no presiding officer at the trial court at present. He had already spent 11 years since arrest and seven years since bail in Bengaluru, he said.

Among other reasons, the applicant contended he was not able to avail of Ayurveda treatment for his ill-health. For his various ailments, he was also not able to get proper treatment due to a high number of Covid-19 cases in the city. His father was also critical after having suffered a stroke.

He also submitted that being in the city caused him an excessive financial burden due to high rent. Further, he said the top court had earlier three times relaxed the bail conditions to permit him to visit Kerala.