Mumbai, Aug 28 (PTI) The Bombay High Court has granted bail to an alleged member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), terming witness statements against him as “innocuous” and ruling that mere possession of a petrol bomb tutorial video on his phone does not constitute an offence.
A bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale noted that Mohammed Iqbal Ibrahim Khan deserves to be released on bail, as the trial is unlikely to get over soon.
The court, in an order passed last week, held that there was hardly any material submitted by the prosecution pointing to Khan’s involvement in the alleged offences.
Dubbing the witness statements to the police against Khan as “innocuous”, the court noted that at the most, they show that the accused was a member of PFI but do not make out any of the offences charged against him.
It referred to a petrol bomb tutorial video on Khan’s phone, and pointed out that he had not forwarded the clip to anyone else or instigated anyone to use that technique.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Khan in September 2022, and he is currently in judicial custody.
He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
According to the prosecution, Khan was an active member of the PFI. He, along with the other accused in the case, had conspired to revolt against the Government of India, and held several meetings across the city between February and June 2022.
It further relied on certain videos on his mobile phones, which show how to make petrol bombs.
The high court also said that while charges were framed in the case in March this year, till date no witnesses have been examined.
“The prosecution intends to examine at least 90 witnesses. Thus, it is quite clear that the trial is not likely to get over within a reasonable time in future,” it said. PTI SP ARU
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