Acquitted after 20 years, ‘terror’ charges spoiled lives of 127 Muslims
By News Desk| Updated: 10th March 2021 5:05 pm IST (Twitter)
Surat: A court in Surat, Gujarat on Saturday acquitted 127 persons who were arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for organizing a meeting to “promote and expand” activities of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in December 2001.
Although the court has removed charges against the accused persons, they faced a lot of difficulties during the past 19 years.
They used to travel hundreds of kilometers to either appear before the police station or the judicial magistrate. Many of them could not get a job for years.
New Delhi, India – On the night of December 26, 2001, Mohammad Abdul Hai boarded a train from Jodhpur in northwestern India’s Rajasthan state to Surat city in neighbouring Gujarat to attend a three-day seminar on Muslim education.
The seminar was organised by the All India Minority Education Board, of which Hai – then an associate professor at Jodhpur’s Jai Narain Vyas University – was a member.
The three-day event was expected to be attended by nearly 400 Muslim scholars, activists and community leaders from across India.
Hai was excited about the seminar. But little did he know that the event was going to change his life forever and soon he would not only be called a “terrorist” and “anti-national” but will have to spend the next 14 months in jail.
Representative image
SURAT: A Surat court on Saturday acquitted 122 persons accused of participating in a meeting organised by banned outfit Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in December 2001, for lack of evidence. Initially, there were 127 accused booked under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Five of them died during the course of the trial.
Chief judicial magistrate Amit Dave acquitted all the accused who were arrested for being members of SIMI and attending a meeting at Rajeshree Hall in Navsari Bazaar area of Surat on December 27, 2001.
The Centre had through its notification dated September 27, 2001 banned SIMI. The accused belonged to different parts of Gujarat as well as from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Surat court acquits 127 accused of being SIMI members 20 years after arrest ANI | Updated: Mar 07, 2021 09:45 IST
Surat (Gujarat) [India], March 7 (ANI): A court in Gujarat s Surat on Saturday acquitted all the 127 accused arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for participating in a meeting organised here in December 2001.
Most of the accused were in jail for over 20 years since their arrest over the allegations of being members of a banned organisation Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), an advocate said.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate AN Dave on Saturday acquitted 127 persons arrested on the charges of being members of the banned outfit SIMI, giving them the benefit of doubt.
Surat: The court in Surat on Saturday acquitted 122 persons accused of participating in a meeting organised by banned outfit Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in December 2001 for lack of evidence. Initially, there were 127 accused booked under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), however, five of them died during the course of the trial.
Chief judicial magistrate Amit Dave, acquitted all the accused who were arrested for being members of SIMI and attending a meeting at Rajeshree Hall in Navsari Bazaar area of Surat on December 27, 2001.
The central government had through its notification dated September 27, 2001 banned SIMI. The accused belonged to different parts of Gujarat as well as from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.