The Bail Plea of Lashkar-e-Toiba Associate Dismissed by Allahabad High Court in Modi Surname Case”
Justice Pankaj Bhatia of the Allahabad High Court has rejected the bail application of Inamul Haq, who was accused of engaging in warfare against the country and facilitating the procurement of weapons through various WhatsApp groups.
Inamul Haq’s bail plea was dismissed in response to an FIR filed against him at the Deoband police station in Saharanpur under sections 121-A (waging war against the government of India) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Evidence revealed that Haq allegedly established a WhatsApp group for the dissemination of ‘jihadi’ literature. He served as the group’s administrator and shared jihadi videos, as stated in the FIR.
Haq confessed to his affiliation with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and his role in running the WhatsApp group. The group had 181 members, including 170 from Pakistan, three from Afghanistan, and one each from Malaysia and Bangladesh. Additionally, the applicant managed a similar group, enticing people to join.
Having considered the arguments from all parties last week, the court noted, “Based on the allegations against the applicant and the FIR, it is alleged that the applicant was the administrator of two WhatsApp groups primarily composed of foreign citizens, which were supposedly promoting the acquisition of arms and propagating group membership based on religious biases.”
“While Article 19 guarantees the right to practice and propagate religion, the gravity of the allegations and their nature, as outlined in the FIR, do not support the granting of bail. Therefore, the bail application is deemed unsuitable and is rejected,” the court further stated.
