Bombay HC Grants Default Bail to Two Accused of Being PFI Members

Delhi High Court to Hear PFI’s Plea against Five Year Ban on Sept 11

The Bombay High Court on Monday granted default bail to two men accused of being members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

A division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Gauri Godse passed the order on the pleas filed by Momin Moiuddin Gulam Hasan, alias Moin Mistri, and Asif Aminul Hussain Khan Adhikari.

Both men were arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on September 22, 2022, primarily for being PFI members.

The accused argued that the ATS had initially sought an extension to file their chargesheet beyond the 90-day period after they were remanded to judicial custody. They contended that the extension was requested for retrieving data from seized gadgets and for obtaining prosecution sanction from the designated authority.

The special court granted the ATS an additional 30 days on the first application for an extension of time to file the chargesheet.

Later, the prosecution was given 15 more days to file the chargesheet due to delays in receiving the necessary prosecution sanction.

In response to these delays, the accused sought default bail from the special court. However, their application was rejected by an order dated January 18, 2023. Following this, the accused filed a petition with the High Court.