"It is only God who can conduct a trial on me and not any court," -Madhani

Friday, July 9, 2010

Madhani’s bail plea dismissed, supporters vow to resist his arrest

Kollam: Hundreds of supporters of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nasser Madhani gathered outside his house here Friday evening after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a Bangalore court and vowed to resist his arrest.

As the news came on TV, the supporters rushed to Madhani’s residence at Anwarasery near here, shouting slogans that those who come to arrest Madhani can do so "but only after shooting us dead".

"He was behind bars for no reason for more than nine years in the Coimbatore bomb blast case and then finally he was let-off because he was innocent. We will not allow his arrest, come what may. This is a ’Yateem Khana’ (orphanage) where hundreds of people are. We will never allow any force to come here and arrest him," a PDP leader said.

Madhani was named as accused in the 2008 Bangalore bomb blast case and since then he was trying for an anticipatory bail from a lower court in Bangalore. Madhani said that a police team from Bangalore visited him June 7 and had asked him some questions.

Earlier, addressing his supporters after Friday prayers, Madhani said that he does not even have one percent hope of getting anticipatory bail.

"It is only God who can conduct a trial on me and not any court," he said.

Meanwhile, senior PDP leader Poonthura Siraj said that they will go in for an appeal against the non-denial of bail in the Karnataka High Court and appealed to the people to keep calm.

"We accept the verdict, but it is an unfortunate one because we all know that this is a concocted case. We are now preparing a panel of advocates who will appear for an appeal petition to be filed in the Karnataka High Court Monday. All knows that he (Madhani) is being victimised. We appeal to all people that peace should be maintained at all cost," Siraj told reporters.

Madhani and his wife Sufiya have been under the police scanner following the arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative T. Nazeer last year near the Meghalaya border and now in the custody of the Bangalore police.

Nazeer is the prime accused in the 2005 Kalamssery bus burning case, in which Sufiya is also accused. She is currently on bail after being arrested last year.

After Nazeer’s arrest, the Karnataka Police got leads on the Bangalore 2008 bomb blast, in which he is also linked. Madhani is accused of having links with Nazeer and knowing of the plot but has denied the charges.

Madhani was jailed after being linked to the 1998 serial bombings in Coimbatore but was acquitted in 2007.