NIA moves SC against PFI members

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has approached the Supreme Court to challenge a Kerala High Court order that granted bail to 17 members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with the 2022 murder of RSS leader Srinivasan.

During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhatti informed a bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih that the NIA has filed 17 separate appeals regarding this matter.

The high court’s impugned order, dated June 25, granted bail to the 17 accused while denying bail to nine others.

“We have filed 17 separate Special Leave Petitions. This court may take up all the SLPs together,” she urged the bench on Friday.

The bench, while hearing a plea from one of the accused, Saddam Hussain M.K., whose bail plea was rejected by the high court, directed the registry to seek permission from Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud to list all related matters together.

The accused, granted bail, face trial for allegedly inciting communal violence in Kerala and other parts of India.

The high court’s order imposed stringent conditions on their bail, including sharing mobile numbers and real-time GPS locations with the investigating officer, surrendering passports, and remaining within Kerala.