Court wants Madhani wife probed,CPM red-faced

A lower court in Aluva near Kochi on Wednesday directed the local police to probe into the alleged role of Sufiya,the wife of Peoples Democratic Party...

A lower court in Aluva near Kochi on Wednesday directed the local police to probe into the alleged role of Sufiya,the wife of Peoples Democratic Party chairman Abdul Nasser Madhani,in a 2005 bus-burning case.

PDP activists had hijacked and torched a Salem-bound Tamil Nadu state transport bus on September 19,2005,near Kochi in protest against the Tamil Nadu Governments objection to Madhanis bail plea in the Supreme Court. Madhani was then an undertrial in the Coimbatore blast case.

Acting on a PIL,the First Class Magistrate Court of V S Vidhyadharan asked the police to inquire into allegations against Madhanis wife in the episode and file the investigation report by June 1.

Petitioner P P Jose of Thrissur had argued that the police had not questioned Sufiya,despite the agency getting enough evidence about her role in the incident.

The nine PDP activists who were accused in the case had told the police that they had held discussions with Sufiya before torching the bus. Besides,she had also allegedly paid them. One of the accused was killed in Kashmir on his way to a terror training camp in PoK last October.

When the allegations against Sufiya in the bus-blaze case surfaced,Madhani had refuted them,saying his wife could not even set a bicycle on fire.

The court directive has come as a major setback for the ruling CPIM,which has been hesitant to look into the alleged role of Sufiya in the case. The party is already under fire in the run-up to the polls for getting cosy with Madhani,who continues to face allegations of terror links despite being acquitted in the Coimbatore blast case.

Shaju Philip

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More