Kashmiri businessman gets bail in Red Fort attack case

A court here on Wednesday granted bail to a Kashmiri businessman arrested for alleged involvement in the Red Fort attack of 2000.

Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma granted bail to businessman Bilal Ahmad Kawa, 37, asking him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of like amount.

Kawa was arrested in a joint operation by Delhi Police and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here in January this year for his alleged involvement in the Red Fort attack of 2000.

The Delhi Police said Kawa's bank account had been used for Lashkar-e-Taiba terror funding.

The court order came on senior advocate and defence counsel Aman Lekhi's submission that except one, other accused in the case had been either discharged or acquitted.

The court warned Kawa not to tamper with the evidence or interfere in the probe.

Kawa, in his bail plea, claimed that no purpose would be served by keeping him in custody further.

The police have said that Kawa, one of the alleged conspirators in the attack, had been absconding for 17 years and declared a proclaimed offender.

The trial court in October 2005 awarded death sentence to Pakistan-based LeT terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq, while two key conspirators were awarded life imprisonment. The court also convicted three other accused.

In September 2007, the Delhi High Court had upheld the death sentence to Ashfaq but acquitted six others.

--IANS

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