SYED MAMOOR ALI Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The instant Criminal Appeal under Sec. 21(4) of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (hereinafter referred as Act 2008) has been filed on behalf of the appellant against the order dtd. 12/04/2024 passed in SC NIA No.02 of 2023; whereby the application filed by the appellant for grant of bail, has been rejected.

(2.) The appellant has been arrested on 26/05/2023 relating to FIR/Crime No.RC-14/2023/NIA/DLI registered at Police Station NIA, Delhi, regarding commission of offence punishable under Ss. 120-B, 153-A, 153-B, 295-A of the Indian Penal Code (hereinafter referred as IPC) and Ss. 13, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (hereinafter referred as UAPA).

(3.) Prosecution story in brief is that in compliance of the order of Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, dtd. 24/05/2023, the National Investigation Agency registered a case bearing No. RC14/2023/NIA/DLI dtd. 24/05/2023 under Ss. 120-B, 295-A of the IPC and Ss. 16, 17, 18, 18(B), 20 of UAPA against present appellant i.e. Syed Mamoor Ali, co-accused Adil Khan and other unknown persons. The NIA took up the investigation wherein it was revealed that during nationwide lockdown in the year 2020, the accused persons started gaining knowledge about comparison of religion through watching the videos of Zakir Naik, an Islamic Preacher, reading Quran and Hadeeth.