SC allows 2008 Bengaluru blast accused Madani to visit mother in Kerala

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday permitted 2008 Bengaluru serial blast accused and Abdul Nasser Madani to visit Kerala to see his ailing mother under the escort of the Karnataka police.

A bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and Ashok Bhushan also accepted Madani’s plea that the trial court should not insist on his personal appearance on each day. The bench directed the trial court to pass appropriate orders exempting Madani from personal appearance, except when his presence is necessary for the trial.

The Bench passed this order after hearing the petitioner’s advocate, Prashant Bhushan, and senior advocate Raju Ramachandran for Karnataka.

Bhushan said since Madani’s mother was in an advanced stage of cancer, the court should permit him to visit her. He also drew the attention of the Bench that though this court had asked the trial court to complete the trial in four months, the trial court judge wanted two years. He wanted a direction to complete the trial in six months. The Bench, however, asked the trial court to complete the trial expeditiously.

Ramachandran submitted that since Madani had already been released on bail in 2014, there was no need to keep the bail petition pending. Accordingly the bench disposed of the matter with liberty to approach the court if necessary.