Court Denies Bail in Maharashtra ISIS Case

A special NIA court denied bail to Zubair Noor Mohammad Shaikh in the Maharashtra ISIS case, citing activities that threaten India's integrity. The case involves Shaikh and others allegedly promoting ISIS ideology and recruiting individuals. Advocate Kazi argues the case hinges on digital communications, which lack substantial evidence.

A special NIA court in Maharashtra has denied bail to Zubair Noor Mohammad Shaikh, implicated in a terror module case for activities allegedly threatening India's integrity and security, as per the court's observation.

The communication among Shaikh and his co-accused indicates attempts to provoke Muslim youths to affiliate with ISIS and adopt its ideology, ruled Special Court Judge B.D. Shelke in his decision dated March 29. The court released its detailed order on Tuesday.

Shaikh and five other individuals faced charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code for allegedly promoting the extremist ideology of ISIS. Despite defense arguments citing insufficient evidence in digital correspondences, the court noted evidence showing the spread of jihadist ideology through seized communications.

(With inputs from agencies.)