New Delhi: A person allegedly having links with ISIS has been denied interim bail by a special court here which said his liberty "shall impact the security of the State".
The fundamental right of liberty of accused is "sacrosanct but the security of the nation was paramount consideration", District Judge Amar Nath said while dismissing the interim bail plea of Syed Mujahid who was arrested in January from Bengaluru.
He was accused of having links with the terror outfit, seeking "to establish Caliphate" in India and recruiting Muslim youths to work for it.
"Granting bail of the accused Syed Mujahid at this stage (of trial) shall impact the security of the State. Hence, the bail application of the accused does not deserve any merit to succeed at this stage," the court said.
The court also noted that the grounds that his father's health was deteriorating could not be considered to grant him bail as he was facing the trial for crime committed under stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
It also said that there were apprehensions that he could flee from trial if granted bail.
The interim bail was sought by the accused on the ground that his father was suffering from different ailments and his condition was deteriorating day by day and he needed surgery.
The prosecution, however, opposed the bail plea saying if he was granted relief, he could tamper with evidence and there were chances that he may escape from the country.
According to the prosecution, the accused had revealed during his interrogation that he, along with others, had formed an organisation -- Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind -- seeking establishment of Caliphate in India and pledged allegiance to ISIS and other terror groups to recruit Muslim youths to work for ISIS and commit terror act here.
The accused, who is currently in judicial custody, was arrested on January 23, 2016, from Bengaluru and Jihadi pictures and messages were retrieved from his Twitter account.
Six phones, five SIMs and other belongings were recovered from his possession.