HC grants bail to 3 held by NIA in 2023 Hizb-ut-Tahrir case

Jabalpur: The Madhya Pradesh high court has granted bail to three persons in a case probed by the National Investigation Agency over alleged links with the banned outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir.A division bench of Justices Vivek Agarwal and R C Singh Bisen extended relief to Sheikh Junaid, Mohammad Wasim and Mohammad Karim.The three were among 17 people arrested from Bhopal and other parts of MP by the NIA over suspected links with the organisation in May 2023. The agency had filed a chargesheet before a special court. They had approached the HC after a trial court declined to quash the FIR against them.During the hearing, the counsel for the applicants argued that apart from photocopies of Islamic literature, no incriminating material was recovered. It was also submitted that they were implicated based on the memorandum statement of co-accused Yasir Khan, and that analysis of their seized mobile phones did not reveal any evidence of their membership in the organisation.Opposing the plea, the prosecution said witness statements indicated radical views and preparedness to engage in unlawful activities.Granting bail, the bench directed them to surrender their passports and furnish details of four family members along with their local addresses. The court also said they must not leave the country without prior permission of the trial court and must appear before it on every date of hearing. Advocate Alok Bagrecha appeared for the applicants.