Court denies ‘default bail’ to 3 PFI members

A Delhi court has denied “default bail” to three members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), who are accused in a money-laundering case related to alleged terror activities.

Special Judge Shailender Malik dismissed the applications of accused Mohammad Ilias, Mohammad Perwez Ahmed and Abdul Muqeet, seeking default bail in the money-laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), saying he did not find any case made out for the relief.

The accused were arrested on September 22, 2022 and are currently in judicial custody. The ED had filed a prosecution complaint (the federal agency’s equivalent of a chargesheet) against them on November 19, 2022.

The accused submitted that the ED had filed the prosecution complaint without completing its investigation and thereby, they should be granted default bail.

Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta, who appeared in the court on behalf of the ED, submitted that merely because “further investigation” is going on, it cannot be assumed that the agency’s probe regarding the applicants remains incomplete.

The judge, after hearing the submissions, said in an order passed on July 25: “This court, in the facts and circumstances of the case, does not find substance in the submissions on behalf of the accused/applicants, firstly because the complaint has been filed within the statutory period.

“A perusal of the complaint does not indicate in any manner that its investigation remained incomplete on the facts stated therein.”