Calcutta High Court Grants Bail in Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh Case

The Calcutta High Court has granted bail to Abdul Kalim alias Azad, connected to the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Although Azad's involvement is primarily based on a co-accused's statement, he served a previous sentence. The court allowed bail as the trial's conclusion is distant.

The Calcutta High Court has decided to release Abdul Kalim alias Azad on bail. Azad was arrested by the Kolkata Police's Special Task Force in 2016 for associations with the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Azad, who was implicated in the 2014 Khagragarh blast in West Bengal, has been in custody for over eight years. Although he had been convicted by the National Investigation Agency and imprisoned for that case, his lawyers argued that the trial in his current case may not conclude soon.

Given that no direct actions were attributed to him in the present case, and his sentence from the previous conviction has ended, the court granted bail with conditions, including geographical restrictions and regular reporting to local authorities.

(With inputs from agencies.)