The Supreme Court on July 17 allowed Abdul Nazir Maudany, People’s Democratic Party chairperson and prime accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blasts case, to travel to his hometown Kollam in Kerala, from Bengaluru.
A Bench of Justices A.S. Bopanna and M.M. Sundresh modified a condition imposed on Mr. Maudany by the Supreme Court while granting him bail in July 2014. The Supreme Court, on July 11, nine years ago, had permitted him bail on the condition that he remained in Bengaluru for the entire duration of the trial.
On Monday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Haris Beeran, for Mr. Maudany, submitted that the examination of witnesses in the case was over and he was not required to be present in court until the day of pronouncement of the judgment in the case.
Mr. Sibal said Mr. Maudany was an amputee and wheelchair bound. He was ailing and had returned to Bengaluru whenever the court had given him leave to visit Kerala in the past.
Modifying the bail condition, the Bench permitted Mr. Maudany to go to his hometown, where he would report to the local police station every 15 days. The court ordered him to inform the local police station before travelling from Kollam to Ernakulam for his hospital visits.
Earlier, in April, the Supreme Court had similarly allowed him to travel to Kerala, provided he bore the expenses of his police escort. However, the visit was later aborted after Mr. Maudany said he could not afford the escort expenses.
In one of his repeated petitions, Mr. Maudany’s counsel had submitted that he was “constrained to remain in Bengaluru, away from his hometown, facing unfamiliar atmosphere, unfavourable climate conditions and extra financial burden. He has been suffering from a catena of diseases and his health condition is critical”.
