Set up panel to review terror cases, cleric urges Modi

Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madni on Friday urged the Narendra Modi government to set up a high-level committee of jurists and legal luminaries to investigate and probe all terror-related cases as hundreds of youth are languishing in various jails in these cases without trial.

Talking to newsmen at the Indian Islamic Centre, he also sought action against those police and administrative officials, who have framed youth in many fake and fabricated terror cases.

"Hundreds of innocent people are languishing in different jails for crimes that they have never committed...."

Praising the country's judiciary, he said that it was because of its intervention that over 50 Muslim youth were absolved of terror charges in many cases like Malegaon, Akshardham, the Hiren Pandya assassination and US Consulate attack.

"This shows that some officials are acting with bias and framing youth in various cases. It is ironical that some of the officials involved in the cases were promoted."

Maulana Madni said that the Jamiat has filed petitions in dozens of cases to seek release of Muslim youth.

"There are cases in which these people are behind the bars for more than 18 years without any trial. The government also need to expedite disposal of the cases," he said.

He also presented to the media persons Mufti Abdul Qayyum, who was convicted and sentenced to death in the 2002 Akshardham terror attack case in Gujarat and the verdict upheld by the high court before the apex court absolved him of all charges in 2014 and ordered his release. Qayyum described the agony he had gone through 11 years in jail.

Maulana Madni, on this occasion, also released Qayyum's book "Gyarah Saal Salakhon ke Peeche (11 years behind the bars)". Qayyum was scheduled to release this book in Ahmedabad, but was denied permission.

He also expressed satisfaction on the recent acquittal of 17 youth in Karnataka, saying this indicates fairness of the judiciary