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The Supreme Court on Friday denied bail to E Abubacker, former chairman of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), who sought his release on medical grounds in a case registered against him under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
A bench of Justices Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal said it was not inclined to grant bail on medical grounds at this stage and granted liberty to him to approach the trial court. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the National Investigation Agency, argued that all the medical conditions raised by Abubacker have been optimised through various treatments and hence, he cannot be granted bail. Abubacker was arrested on September 22, 2022, by the NIA during a massive crackdown on PFI. The government banned the PFI and several of its associate organisations on September 28, 2022, for five years under the stringent anti-terror law, accusing them of having links with global terror groups like ISIS. He approached the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court's May 28, 2024 order which denied him bail. Abubacker said that he was in his seventies and suffering from Parkinson's disease and that he had undergone surgery for treatment of cancer. Among the allegations against Abubacker is that he was earlier associated with SIMI, a banned organisation and later he became an integral part of the PFI. He was also an authorised signatory with respect to the bank accounts of PFI. (ANI)
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