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CASE TITLE: Inamul Haq Alias Inamul Imtiyaz vs. State of U.P [CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. – 7241 of 2023]

DECIDED ON: 09.08.2023

CORAM: Hon’ble Pankaj Bhatia,J.

INTRODUCTION

Last week, the Allahabad High Court declined to grant bail to a 19-year-old individual who was reportedly linked to the ‘Lashkar-e-Taiba’ group. The person had been apprehended by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police the previous year on charges of disseminating animosity, advocating sentiments against India, and assisting in the procurement of weapons through WhatsApp groups.

In light of the accusations directed at the individual named Inamul Haq, also known as Inamul Imtiyaz, Justice Pankaj Bhatia’s panel noted that even though the freedom to practice and promote religion is safeguarded by Article 19, the nature of the allegations outlined in the First Information Report (FIR) indicates that the accused cannot be considered exempt from the provisions of the second part of Section 121-A IPC.

FACTS

Reportedly, the First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the accused under Sections 121-A and 153-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66 of the Information Technology (IT) Act. The accusations revolved around his alleged creation of a WhatsApp group where he shared literature with potential jihadi connotations and uploaded videos of a similar nature.

The FIR also detailed that the individual in question confessed to aspiring to become a jihadi and acknowledged his affiliation with the Lashkar group. According to the FIR, he claimed to have maintained a WhatsApp group for approximately 15-16 years, comprising 181 members, including 170 from Pakistan, 3 from Afghanistan, and 1 each from Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India. Furthermore, he was accused of actively promoting arms acquisition and propagating the group’s ideology based on religious biases.

In his bid for bail, the accused approached the High Court, with his representative (Advocate Shivam Yadav) contending that the allegations in the FIR did not prima facie establish his involvement under Section 121-A IPC. It was argued that he had been in custody since March 14, 2022, and the offenses attributed to him were punishable by a maximum of five years’ imprisonment. Conversely, the state’s legal representative opposed his bail application, citing the allegations detailed in the FIR.

Against this context, the Court initially examined Section 121A IPC (Conspiracy to commit offenses punishable by section 121). The Court additionally observed that the accusations against the accused and the contents of the FIR indicated that he managed two WhatsApp groups primarily composed of foreign nationals. These groups were allegedly involved in promoting arms procurement and advancing the group’s agenda based on religious biases.

CASE ANALYSIS AND DECISION

Given these charges leveled against the defendant, the Court determined that the accused cannot be deemed to have violated the second portion of Section 121-A IPC. As a result, due to the seriousness of the accusation, the Court concluded that there was no basis for approving bail, leading to the dismissal of the defendant’s bail plea.

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Written by- Mansi Malpani