Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain Farid alias Bilal, who was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad for preparing to commit a terror act, has been granted police custody till October 2 by the Nashik sessions court. Earlier, a lower court denied police custody for him.
“The ATS took Bilal into custody today [Thursday],” Ajay Misar, special public prosecutor, ATS, told The Hindu on the phone.
Bilal was arrested a fortnight ago in Nashik, and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. On September 20, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nashik, denied further police custody, citing “slow investigation.”
The ATS challenged this decision in the sessions court, which set aside the Chief Judicial Magistrate's order.
The court observed that the lower court had wrongly denied police custody of the accused.
The judge agreed that the investigation was at a crucial stage and police custody was required for further investigation.
