Bombay High Court rejects bail plea by youth arrested for joining ISIS

The Bombay high court on Monday dismissed an appeal and application filed by Kalyan youth Areeb Majeed seeking bail and also challenging extension granted to NIA to file chargesheet against him and also extending his judicial custody by a court, which, according to the petitioner, did not have the power to do so.

“We find no merits in the appeal and the application and hence dismissed,” said the division bench of Justice R.V. More and Justice S.C. Gupte while rejecting the application filed by Majeed who was arrested for joining ISIS.

Majeed had filed the bail plea through advocate Mubin Solkar on an argument that a sessions judge who was not appointed as special NIA judge had granted extension to file chargesheet and hence this extension was not legal in the eyes of law so the applicant is entitled for statutory bail. Mr Solkar had contended that the period of 90 days after Majeed’s arrest was to expire on on February 25, 2015 (Majeed was arrested on November 28, 2014). However, the NIA had filed an application before the NIA court on February 16, for extension of time to file chargesheet and also for extension of custody of the accused.

He had also argued the special NIA judge Y.D. Shinde had fixed February 24 for hearing these applications. However, the judge was not available that day and hence the NIA produced Majeed before another judge, P.R. Deshmukh who allowed both the applications filed by the investigating agency.