The Allahabad High Court has recently rejected the bail plea of a Lashkar-e-Toiba associate, who was accused of waging war against the country and promoting acquisition of arms via various WhatsApp groups.
Justice Pankaj Bhatia dismissed the bail application filed by Inamul Haq, who stands implicated in a First Information Report registered at the Deoband police station in Saharanpur.
The FIR pertains to offenses specified under Section 121-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to the act of waging war against the government of India, and Section 153-A of the IPC, which addresses the promotion of hostility between distinct religious or communal groups.
Subsequent to the recovery of specific materials, it emerged that Haq purportedly established a WhatsApp group that functioned as a platform for disseminating ‘jihadi’ literature.
Inamul Haq acknowledged his affiliation with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and his role as the administrator of the mentioned WhatsApp group. The group counted 181 members, encompassing 170 individuals from Pakistan, three from Afghanistan, and one each from Malaysia and Bangladesh.
Additionally, the applicant was associated with another similar group, wherein endeavors were made to allure individuals into joining the aforementioned group.
After hearing parties concerned last week, the court observed, “In the present case, from the allegations levelled against the applicant and the FIR that the applicant was admin of two WhatsApp groups comprising mainly foreign citizens, and the said group was allegedly promoting the acquisition of arms and promoting the group on the basis of religious prejudices.”
The court added, “Although, the right to practice and propagate religion is guaranteed under Article 19, however, from the nature of allegations levelled in the FIR, considering the gravity of the allegation, no case for grant of bail is made out, as such. The bail application is liable to be rejected.”
