Recently, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding the bail application of Ibrahim Puthanathani, the former national coordinator of the Popular Front of India (PFI), who has been in custody for two years.
The division bench of Justice Pratibha M. Singh and Justice Amit Sharma directed the NIA to respond to the bail plea within two weeks, with the next hearing scheduled for November 11. Advocate Kartik Venu, representing Puthanathani, highlighted that Puthanathani has been in custody since his arrest in 2022 and previously had a bail application dismissed by the trial court at Patiala House in New Delhi. In June 2023, Puthanathani was granted a six-hour custody parole.
Puthanathani was charged in April 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a terror-related case. He and several other PFI leaders have been accused of conspiring to raise funds for terrorist activities and allegedly operating terror camps. This follows a nationwide crackdown by the NIA on PFI leaders after the central government declared the organization a banned entity under UAPA on September 28, 2022.
The Court’s decision to seek a response from the NIA indicated the Court’s consideration of Puthanathani’s prolonged detention and the legal implications surrounding his bail application. The upcoming hearing on November 11 is expected to be pivotal in shaping the future proceedings of this high-profile case.