Delhi court acquits Ex-SIMI chief in 14-year case

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By Abu Zafar, IndiaTomorrow.net,

New Delhi, 26 March 2015: A Delhi court on Thursday acquitted former SIMI chief Dr Shahid Badar Falahi in a 14-year-old case of promoting enmity between different groups and publishing ‘objectionable’ materials.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Patiala House Court Sanjay Khanagwal acquitted Dr Shahid who was charged under 153A, 153B and 505 of Indian Penal Code. Section 124A of sedition was also imposed on Dr Shahid but he was discharged during the charge framing process by session judge in December 2002.

A case was lodged against Dr Shahid on 19 May 2001 for allegedly posting a sticker having provocative content which promotes enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and race on the wall of Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university in Delhi. According to prosecution story the sticker was pasted on 10 January but the case was registered in 19 May when SIMI was not a banned organization.

SIMI was banned by the BJP-led NDA government on 27 September 2001 and Dr Shahid along with many SIMI activists arrested under Unlawful Activity of Prevention Act, 1967. The only arresting took place in this case on October 23 when Dr Shahid was already lodged in Tihar Jail in another case.

Speaking to IndiaTomrrow.net Advocate H. A. Siddiqui, Dr. Shahid’s counsel in the case, said that ‘If there had been an investigation on right direction then there would have been no case against Falahi.”

“The alleged incident happened in January and case was registered in May and arresting took place after one month of his arresting in another case,” Siddiquie added.

Dr. Shahid, a medical graduate from Aligarh Muslim University, is a Unani medical practitioner in Azamgarh town of Uttar Pradesh.

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