Court directs Tihar Jail superintendent to appear in person

A special NIA court today directed the Tihar Jail superintendent to appear in person before it on June 7 after Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah Akhtar claimed that they were not being provided even the basic amenities in the high security prison.
The order came after Bhatkal, Akhtar and some other suspected members of the banned terror group were produced before district judge I S Mehta in connection with a case lodged by NIA regarding larger conspiracy of IM to carry out strikes in India.
The counsel representing Bhatkal and Akhtar claimed before the court that their clients were not provided with sufficient facilities in jail.

"The accused persons are complaining about insufficient facilities provided to them in the jail. Superintendent Central Jail Tihar is directed to appear in person on the next date of hearing i.E. June 7 for assisting the court," the court said.
It also directed the jail authorities to provide necessary medical facilities to the accused according to rules.
Bhatkal and Akhtar, arrested for their alleged roles in various terror strikes in India, had earlier also moved an application before the court claiming there was a threat to their lives inside Tihar Jail.

On February 20, NIA had filed its second charge sheet against Bhatkal, Akhtar and two other suspected IM operatives in connection with the case.

It had named Bhatkal, Akhtar, Manzer Imam and Ujjair Ahmed as accused for allegedly waging war against India, conspiracy for terrorist acts, membership of a terror organisation, radicalisation and recruitment of youths into IM.
Bhatkal and Akhtar were among the 12 top suspected IM members listed as absconders in the 42-page charge sheet filed earlier against arrested accused Mohd Danish Ansari, Mohd Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, Syed Maqbool and Obaid-Ur-Rehman under various penal provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC for conspiracy to commit offences against India.
NIA had arrested Bhatkal and Akhtar from Indo-Nepal border on the night of August 28 last year.