With legal aid to the jailed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Abdul Nasir Maudany as the main agenda, “Justice for Maudany Forum” was constituted here on Wednesday. Mr. Maudany was arrested by the Karnataka police on August 17 in connection with the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts.
Journalist Bhasurendra Babu, a patron of forum, said that apart from providing legal aid, the forum also intended to launch political campaigns in support of Mr. Maudany, organise cultural and human rights activists for the purpose and also highlight the PDP leader's cause through media.
Based in Kollam
He said that the activities of the forum would be expanded to Bangalore and Delhi. The Karungapally-based forum would be active all over the State. The former Member of Parliament, Sebastian Paul, will be the chairman of the forum.
Mr. Babu said that it would not be surprising if Mr. Maudany figured as a falsely implicated accused in several bomb blast cases, as the PDP leader had feared. Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya has already set the trend for that, he alleged.
Its working chairman K.P. Mohammed said that such a forum became a necessity given the high expenses which would be incurred for the legal battle for justice to Mr. Maudany. He added that Mr. Maudany had now become a symbol of denial of justice. He seems to be perpetually harassed. The so-called identification parade at Kodagu was a farce, he alleged.
23 patrons
Mr. Babu said that the forum would give a new face to the struggle against injustice. The forum has 23 patrons including former minister Neelalohitadasan Nadar, Jamath Federation president Kadakal Abdul Aziz Maulavi, historian M.S. Jayaprakash, MLAs P.T.A. Rahim, P.M.A. Salam and K.T. Jaleel, journalists B.R.P. Bhaskar, GRO Vasu, environment activist C.R. Neelakantan, PDP leader Poonthura Siraj, and the former acting chairman of the State Human Rights Commission S. Balaraman.
The forum also has 12 vice-chairmen and an equal number of conveners. It will launch a fund collection drive at all the mosques in the State on September 3. The funds collected will be deposited in a joint account in the name of Dr. Sebastian Paul, K.P. Mohammed and Mr. Maudany's wife Soofia.
