Kochi: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Abdul Nasar Madani, who is a prime accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blasts case, arrived in Kerala on Monday from Bengaluru after the Supreme Court allowed him to enter his home state of Kerala to visit his ailing father.
Madani has been out on bail since 2014 after the Supreme Court granted relief in light of the undertrial’s poor health, but he was ordered not to leave Bengaluru. In April 2023, the apex court granted him permission to visit Kerala on a plea seeking relaxation of the bail conditions imposed by it. But his visit was delayed after the Karnataka government sought an ‘exorbitant’ amount for the security of the PDP leader.
At least 12 policemen from the Karnataka police department are escorting Madani for his safety and security, and the court has directed him to bear all their expenses for the trip. Madani received a joyful welcome from his followers on his arrival at the international airport here on Monday evening. This was his second visit to the state in six years. Addressing the media before starting his journey from Bengaluru, Madani said he had been ‘trapped in a planned manner’ and that it was an ‘embarrassment’ to the legal system of the country to detain people as undertrial prisoners for decades.
‘I was mentally prepared to face this prolonged detention because I knew that they had trapped me in a planned manner. I must be among the undertrials who have been behind bars for the longest duration in the country. It must be an embarrassment for the Indian legal system to have undertrials for so long only to release them when they are nearing death. I hope those responsible will rethink such practices’, Madani said.
He said his health condition was worsening and he was hoping to get some better treatment in Kerala. Madani said he will offer prayers at his mother’s grave and visit his father. He will be in Kerala till July 8, and the total amount to be deposited with the Karnataka police department for his police escort will be finalised only after his visit ends, he said.
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