Cuttack court acquits man who spent over 10 years in jail on terror charges

Cuttack: Md Abdur Raheman spent more than 10 years in jail for being a terrorist. The 47-year-old resident of Paschimkachha village in Cuttack district, who ran a madrasa, can now walk free after a sessions court in Cuttack On Tuesday acquitted him of all charges, holding that the prosecution had failed to produce convincing evidence linking him to terrorist activities or anti-national acts.Raheman was arrested in Dec 2015 by a joint team of Delhi and Odisha police following intelligence inputs alleging his involvement in radicalisation and recruitment of youths for extremist organisations. He was booked under UAPA and was also charged with sedition.While delivering his judgment, sessions judge Manas Ranjan Barik pointed to major shortcomings in the prosecution’s investigation. During cross-examination, the investigating officer (IO) admitted that no evidence had surfaced to show that any student from Raheman’s madrasa had joined terror outfits such as Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) or Indian Mujahideen (IM).The IO also conceded that investigators had failed to seize any documents or materials establishing Raheman’s membership in banned organisations or proving allegations of supplying arms and ammunition to terrorists.The court further observed that the probe did not uncover any instance where the accused had encouraged students or members of the community to join terrorist organisations listed under the UAPA schedule.Noting an “absolute dearth of material” to establish the accused’s involvement in terrorist acts or links with banned outfits, the court rejected charges framed under UAPA.The acquittal comes too late for Raheman, who, along with three others, was convicted by the Patiala House Court in New Delhi in Feb 2023 under UAPA for conspiracy and recruitment linked to terror activities. He was sentenced to 7.5 years of rigorous imprisonment, which he had already served during his days as an undertrial.And yet, Raheman continued to remain in custody in connection with the UAPA case registered by Odisha Police. While rejecting his bail plea on Nov 11, 2025, Orissa High Court had directed the trial court to expedite proceedings and dispose of the matter at the earliest.