JC of six alleged IM men extended

The extension of judicial remand followed after a queer shuttling of the matter from one court to another on the issue as to which court has the jurisdiction to extend their remand.

District Judge Sunita Gupta extended the judicial custody of Sayed Maqbool alias Zuber, Asad Khan, Imran Khan, Syed Feroze and Irfan Mustafa Langda, all accused in August 1 Pune blast case till December 17.

Fasih Mehmood, also a suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist allegedly involved in blasts in Bangalore and Delhi in 2010, was also remanded in JC till Monday.

The extension of JC, however, saw the matter getting shuttled from one court to another on the question of their jurisdiction to extend their remand.

All the six suspected IM men were first produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidya Parkash from Tihar.

The court, however, sent the matter to District Judge Sunita Gupta after Irfan's counsel Mehmood Pracha argued that the magisterial court does not have the power to extend their judicial remand.

The district judge sent the matter to the court of Additional Sessions Judge Asha Menon.

Before ASJ Menon, Pracha argued since all the accused have been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), only a special court has the authority to extend their remand.

Following this, the sessions court said the matter be sent to designated court at Patiala House.

The Special Cell again moved the court of district judge contending that the special court at Patiala House is a designated court for matters under NIA Act and not under UAPA.

Following this, the district judge sent the matter back to the sessions court, while extending the judicial custody of all the six alleged IM men till December 17, when the matter will be heard on the issue of jurisdiction.