SC grants Maudany one month bail

The Supreme Court Friday granted one month bail on health grounds to 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blast conspiracy prime accused and Kerala-based People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nazir Maudany.

A bench of Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice A.K.Sikri said that during his one-month bail, Maudany will not leave the city of Bangalore and the Karnataka government is at liberty to take all steps, including putting him under surveillance, to ensure that he does not get in touch with witnesses in the case.

The court granted Maudany bail while taking note that he is an under-trial prisoner who was already behind the bars for the last four years and was suffering from various ailments, including diabetes and vision-threatening ailment in both eyes.

The court said that Maudany would furnish two sureties of Rs.1 lakh each and would also furnish his address where he would be staying.

The court's orders came on Maudany's application.

As counsel Prashant Bhushan urged the court to enhance the bail period as one month would be insufficient for Maudany's treatment, the court said that he could make a application for extension after one month and if there was any complaint, then it too would be examined.

Bhushan told the court that by its Nov 18, 2013 order, the Karnataka government was directed that Maudany would be kept in the hospital till he was in a position to undergo his eye surgery but in last eight months, he was kept in hospital for less than a month and his health condition was continuously deteriorating.

He told the court that Maudany, arrested Aug 17, 2010 in connection with the conspiracy for the Bangalore bomb blast, is already in jail as an undertrial prisoner for the last four years. He said that Maudany suffered nine year's incarceration in the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast case in which he was finally acquitted.

Opposing the bail plea, senior counsel Raju Ramachandran, appearing for the Karnataka government, told the court that Maudany was a very influential person and if he was released, would influence the witnesses using various means, including intimidation.

Ramachandran said that Maudany was being provided the best treatment at the hospitals of his choice at expenses running into lakhs of rupees.

"In that case you release him and he would bear the expenses of treatment," the court told Ramachandra, brushing aside his objections. "So long he was in the custody of the Karnataka government it was incumbent upon it to take care of his health," it noted.