Telangana high court admits NIA appeals seeking cancellation of bail to PFI members

Hyderabad: After taking the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to task and slapping penalty for delay in pursuing bail cancellation petitions, the Telangana high court on Wednesday admitted appeals filed by the agency seeking to cancel bails granted to members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and called for records. The bench also directed that personal notices be issued to the accused persons in the case.

Appearing for the NIA before a division bench comprising Justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and BR Madhusudhan Rao, special public prosecutor P Vishnuvardhana Reddy argued that the agency already filed a chargesheet in the case and it was admitted by the court. Since a prima facie case was made out against the accused, bail cannot be granted, he added.

He also submitted that PFI was active not only in Telangana but in several other parts of the country, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and that they were radicalising innocent youth to indulge in terror activities. He also cited before the bench a Supreme Court order setting aside bails granted to the accused involved in terror activities and urged the high court to set aside the bails granted to the accused in the current case.

After hearing arguments, the bench issued orders calling for the records related to the case and the bail and posted the matter to July 31 for further hearing.

The case relates to the Nizamabad police busting a PFI terror module in 2022 . Subsequently, the NIA took up the investigation in the case.