HC cancels bail to Pahelwan, 2 others

HYDERABAD: The High Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail granted to Mohammed bin Omer Yafai alias Mohammed Pahelwan, the prime accused, and two others allegedly involved in the case of attempt on the life of Akbaruddin Owaisi, MIM floor leader in the Assembly, in April 2011.While cancelling the bail granted to Mohammed Pahelwan and his brother Younus bin Omer Yafai and Mohd Bahadur Ali Khan alias Munawar Iqbal, justice KC Bhanu directed them to surrender before the trial court forthwith.The judge heard their bail applications afresh following a directive of the Supreme Court. In September 2011, a single judge of the High Court had granted bail to the accused and the state government preferred an appeal to the Supreme Court.The persons whose bail was sought to be cancelled included Mohammed Pahelwan, Hasan bin Omer Yafai, Esa bin Younus Yafai, Yahiya bin Younus Yafai, Faisal bin Ahmed, Fazal bin Ahmed, Younus bin Omer Yafai, Bahadur Ali Khan alias Munawar Iqbal and Awad bin Younus Yafai. The apex court set aside the bail orders on March 16, 2012 and asked the High Court to decide on bail applications afresh within a period of six weeks and the accused shall remain protected in the meantime.Public prosecutor Vinod Kumar Deshpande, while opposing the bail applications, contended that it was an attack on a public representative who is espousing the cause of general public and the court should not show an indulgence towards the attackers who are known anti-social elements.The counsel for the accused contended that Mohammed Pahelwan never participated in the alleged offence but was framed by the city police. The accused had been on bail for six months and they never tried to interfere with the investigation, the defence counsel said.The public prosecutor said Mohammed Pahelwan was the mastermind of the conspiracy and he, along with his family members, hatched a plan to eliminate the legislator.They had tried to kill the legislator on April 30, 2011 when the latter was on a padayatra in Barkas area, he said.