HC rejects ISIS operative's bail prayer

The Calcutta High Court today rejected the bail prayer of suspected ISIS operative Musa, who had allegedly planned to attack Mother House here and other places in West Bengal.
Musa alias Md Mosiuddin had allegedly attacked a jail warden on December 4 inside the correctional home where he is lodged on judicial remand.
The suspected ISIS operative was arrested in July, 2016, by the state CID when he was travelling to Birbhum district in West Bengal. Firearms and sharp weapons were allegedly seized from his possession.
The investigation was later transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took custody of Musa and submitted the chargesheet before the designated special court here in December last.

The suspected terrorist had filed a bail application before the special court in May this year, which was rejected in June.
He then moved the high court against the special court order and also prayed for bail.

Opposing the bail prayer, NIA counsel Sanjay Bardhan submitted before a division bench comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice R Bharadwaj that the charges against the accused were serious in nature and that he had attacked a jail warden with a sharp weapon inside Alipore Central Correctional Home on December 4.
Bardhan submitted that Musa had allegedly planned to attack the Mother House in Kolkata, the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity, and that investigation was on into his plans and associates.

He submitted that releasing a person with such serious charges against him would seriously hamper the investigation.
Musa's counsel submitted that the chargesheet against him had been filed after the requisite time frame, but the NIA counsel denied the claim.
After hearing both the parties, the bench rejected the bail prayer and dismissed his appeal against the special court order.