Abdul Samad Bawa, who was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in a 2009 arms case, was granted bail by a court on Tuesday. The judge cited lack of material evidence as the main reason for grant of bail.
Samad is also a suspect in the Pune German Bakery blast case.
The judge noted that the prosecution had failed to prove how Samad's name came about in the course of the investigation. The ATS had added his name later.
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Samad was arrested on May 24 for allegedly supplying arms to three persons on August 5, 2009.
His lawyer Mubin Solkar argued in the court that his client was falsely implicated in the case and that there was no cogent evidence on record to show his involvement.
Mr. Solkar pointed out that a series of remand applications filed by the three other accused in the case made no mention of Samad. Even the First Information Report copy did not have his name.
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Public Prosecutor Rajendra Sawant refuted the defence contention, saying that Samad's involvement came to light in August last itself.
Samad will have to submit a surety bond of Rs.25,000 and cooperate with the investigating officer and appear before him as and when required. His passport is already in police custody, and he will not be able to leave the country without the court's permission.
Samad, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka, was arrested at the Mangalore airport. Shortly after the arrest, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram termed Samad the “prime suspect” in the Pune blast case. However, the ATS has not yet confirmed his links to the blast.