Friday, July 11, 2025

Supreme Court denies bail to former PFI chairman E Abubacker, declines house arrest request

The Supreme Court of India on Friday denied the plea of E Abubacker, a veteran Muslim leader and former Chairman of the banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), for bail on medical grounds. Abubacker was jailed during a massive crackdown on PFI and associated entities in 2022 followed by the ban under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal stated that they were not inclined to grant bail on medical grounds at this stage and granted liberty to the petitioner to approach the trial court.

He is presently in judicial custody under Sections 120B and 153A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Sections 17, 18, 18B, 20, 22B 38, and 39 of the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayan, who appeared for Abubacker, argued that the medical report was in his favour and referred to a few judgments where similar allegations related to terrorism arose and the Court had granted bail on medical grounds.

Meanwhile, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju for the National Investigation Agency argued that he cannot be granted bail as all the medical conditions he raised have been optimized through various treatments.

When Sankaranarayan tried making a plea for the house arrest of the petitioner as an alternate measure, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to it stating that requesting house arrest has now become a “new concept”.

72-year-old Abubacker is a retired schoolteacher and former PFI chairman with a history of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. He has been undergoing intensive medical treatment and care at various hospitals since 2019 when he was diagnosed with a rare malignant form of cancer ‘Gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma’.

On November 12, 2024, the Supreme Court of India directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to assemble a medical team to thoroughly examine E Abubacker. After two weeks, he was sent back to jail.

He requires assistance for daily tasks and struggles to manage his medication schedule.

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