NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the NIA’s response to a plea by an alleged PFI activist, arrested during a massive crackdown on the radical Islamist outfit before it was banned, seeking a copy of the FIR registered against the members of the organisation and the grounds for arrest of each of them.
Over 200 alleged PFI activists were detained in several states during the massive raids preceding the nation-wide ban imposed on September 28. Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta issued notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a petition filed by Mohd Yusuff, who was arrested from his residence in Chennai on September 22 in the case lodged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the stringent anti-terror law.
During the hearing, the counsel for the NIA submitted the Additional Solicitor General, who was to argue the case, was unwell, after which the court listed the matter for October 10. Petitioner Yusuff, who claims to be a practising advocate, sought a direction to the NIA to provide him a copy of the FIR lodged by the agency in Delhi on April 13 and also the documents listing the grounds of arrest of each accused person.
He also sought a copy of the remand applications filed by the NIA before a trial court.
The petitioner said he was arrested around 3 AM on September 22 from his residence in Chennai by the NIA along with others, who all were picked up from different parts of the country and brought to the city by the agency in connection with the case lodged in Delhi.
“At the time of his arrest, the respondent (NIA) did not communicate to the petitioner any particulars of the offence for which he has been arrested or any grounds of such arrest in clear violation of the statutory mandate provided under Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) read with Article 22(1) of the Constitution,” the plea submitted.