‘Wipe out case against you’: ISIS accused moves court over alleged inducement

Majeed, a resident of Kalyan, who is currently out on bail, had said in the complaint letter that on February 21, when he was not at home, his wife called to inform him that two unknown persons, a man and a woman, were at their residence. He said that he spoke to the woman on the phone and she told him that she was from the defence forces and had come there with a senior defence officer.

“During the conversation, she stated that they required the Applicant’s ‘help’ and that in return they would ‘wipe out the case pending against’ him. The Applicant immediately became suspicious, as it is legally impossible for any executive authority to wipe out a criminal case pending before this Hon’ble Special Court,” the letter said, adding the claim to wipe out the case also “constituted a serious representation that executive power could override judicial adjudication”. He said that he refused to allow them to enter his home and immediately dialled the police emergency helpline number as well as NIA officials.

Majeed’s letter said that when he reached home, he sought for identification from the two. The woman did not show any identification proof while the “male briefly flashed an ID card but concealed material particulars and refused to permit proper verification”. He then said that they went to the local Bazar Peth police station in Kalyan where he was informed by the senior police inspector that the male person was from the security establishment and that his identity could not be questioned. Majeed’s letter says that he was also asked to delete photographs he had taken of them. The letter also said he received a call from an officer of a premier investigation agency to not take any action.

The complaint letter said that during the telephone conversation with the woman, he was told that he would be recruited to speak to individuals abroad using a special mobile phone to be provided to him.

“The Applicant reasonably apprehends that such a proposal, if accepted, could later be used to allege that he was in contact with foreign individuals. Given the pendency of the present case, any such engineered communication could severely prejudice the Applicant. The Applicant therefore refused any such proposal and immediately informed authorities,” the letter said.

“The Applicant has devoted more than eleven years to defending himself in this matter and will not permit any clandestine or irregular approach to compromise the integrity of the proceedings,” the letter said, seeking an explanation and a detailed report on the incident.

Majeed and three others had left India allegedly to join Islamic State, the first case in the country. It was alleged that Majeed had returned to the country in 2014 with an “ulterior motive” to carry out terror attacks. Majeed claims he returned in coordination with NIA officials, while the others passed away. The trial in the case is nearing completion. Majeed was granted bail and was released in 2021.