HC grants bail to accused in 2007 case of possessing RDX, detonators to wage war against India

PTI, Mar 29, 2023, 8:08 AM IST

The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to Mohammad Tarique Qasmi in a 2007 case of alleged possession of RDX and detonators for waging war against the country.

The Lucknow bench of the court granted the relief to the accused.

Qasmi is also an accused in another 2007 case of explosions on court premises in Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad.

A bench of Justices AR Masoodi and Saroj Yadav passed the order on an appeal filed by Qasmi.

”Since the ground raised by the appellant — Qasmi — on the aspect of recovery of the explosive substance requires consideration and he has already served out the sentence for about 16 years, prima facie, a case for grant of bail is made out,” it said.

The bench heard the matter on March 23 and released the order on Tuesday.

A special sessions court in Barabanki sentenced Qasmi to life imprisonment in 2015. Qasmi had filed an appeal against his conviction.

Qasmi’s lawyer IB Singh had argued that the substance recovered from Qasmi was planted on him and that he was falsely implicated.

Additional Government Advocate Umesh Verma could not controvert that Qasmi was in jail for 16 years.

The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Qasmi, along with another accused Mujahid, on December 22, 2007 from the Barabanki railway station and seized detonators and RDX from their possession.