Odisha Al-Qaeda Operative Mohd Abdur Rehman Denied Bail by Orissa High Court
Bench cites gravity of charges and national security concerns; Rehman convicted earlier under UAPA for links with terror outfit
Bhubaneswar: The High Court of Orissa on Tuesday dismissed the bail petition of Al-Qaeda operative Mohd Abdur Rehman, who has been lodged in jail since December 2015 following his arrest on charges of involvement in extremist activities.
Rehman, a resident of Paschimkachha village under Salipur police limits in Cuttack district, was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell nearly a decade ago for his alleged links with the international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda.
According to official sources, his arrest came after a coordinated operation between Odisha and Delhi Police, triggered by intelligence inputs about his suspected role in recruiting and radicalising youths for extremist causes.
The High Court, while rejecting his latest bail plea, cited the seriousness of the charges and continuing national security implications, observing that his release at this stage could adversely impact the ongoing investigations.
The ruling marks a major development in the long-running case, which has remained under close watch of central and state intelligence agencies. Local police officials, however, declined to comment on the court order.
Rehman was earlier convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Patiala House Court in New Delhi on February 10, 2023, and sentenced to seven years and five months of rigorous imprisonment four days later. The court had also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on him.
Special Judge Sanjay Khanagwal had held Rehman and three others Mohd Asif, Zafar Masood, and Abdul Sami guilty under Sections 18 (conspiracy for terror act) and 18B (recruitment for terror act) of the UAPA.
Rehman was arrested on December 16, 2015, from Jagatpur near Cuttack, for allegedly running an unregistered madrasa at Tangi, where he was accused of radicalising students and recruiting them for terror-linked activities.
Investigations had revealed that Rehman had illegally visited Pakistan, where he reportedly met top militant leaders including Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Sajid Mir, both key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Reports published in 2018 also indicated that Rehman had admitted to having links with terrorists involved in the 1999 Kandahar plane hijack and the 2002 American Centre blast in Kolkata, and had allegedly provided safe shelter in Cuttack to one of the hijack conspirators.
As a cleric, he was known to have delivered provocative speeches at religious gatherings in Odisha and Jharkhand. Notably, one of his brothers was also accused in the 2002 American Centre blast case but was later acquitted.