Mumbai: TADA Court Denies Bail To Businessman In 1992 JJ Hospital Shootout Case

Mumbai: The special TADA court has refused to grant bail to businessman Farooque Yasin Mansoor, 65, for his alleged role in the 1992 JJ Hospital shootout case. Mansoor, extradited from Dubai and brought to Mumbai on March 8, 2018, also faces charges related to the 1993 serial bomb blasts.

He sought bail citing a prolonged trial and nearly seven years of incarceration, which he argued amounted to pretrial punishment. Mansoor claimed the prosecution deliberately delayed the trial, violating his fundamental right to a speedy trial. However, the prosecution countered that the delays were due to tactics employed by him.

The court, after reviewing both arguments, noted that Mansoor’s bail plea on merits was previously rejected. It acknowledged that post-pandemic, his plea for a speedy trial was granted. After reviewing the material on record, the judge observed, “most of the time" the delay was caused by the applicant and on very "small/limited occasions" the case was adjourned because of the prosecution.

The court further stated that while two witnesses had been examined, the trial was extended due to the pandemic, adjournments sought by Mansoor, and the arrest of another accused. Thus, it concluded that his fundamental right to a speedy trial was not denied, rejecting his bail plea on the grounds of delay. The prosecution alleged that the shootout stemmed from a rivalry between the Arun Gawli and Dawood Ibrahim gangs.

On March 16, 1991, members of Gawli’s gang allegedly fired at Dawood’s brother-in-law, Ibrahim Iqbal Parkar. Two shooters, Shailesh Haldankar and Bipin Shere, were arrested and admitted to JJ Hospital due to injuries. On September 12, 1992, at 3.45am, assailants from Dawood’s gang, armed with AK-47s, pistols, revolvers, and grenades, stormed the hospital ward, killing Haldankar, two constables, and injuring others. The prosecution claimed Mansoor sheltered the assailants before and after the attack and aided their escape.

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