Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of three alleged Popular Front of India (PFI) members observing that there is strong prima facie evidence to show that they entered into a “wide spread conspiracy to give ultimate effect to the Vision-2047 document”. The document, in Urdu, shows the intention of PFI and its members to transform India into an Islamic State by 2047.
The court dismissed petitions by three accused – Razi Ahmed Khan, 30, Kayyum Abdul Shaikh, 50 and Unais Umar Khaiyyam Patel, 32 – noting that the their roles were interconnected and that they were a part of criminal conspiracy, a “sinister plot” to transform India into an Islamic State.
“Perusal of material/evidence on record clearly indicates that the Appellants entered into a wide spread conspiracy to give ultimate effect to the Vision-2047 document… Perusal of Vision-2047 document indicates that, it is a sinister plot and design to transform India into an Islamic State by adopting all possible methods mentioned therein. It is a conspiracy to commit horrendous acts perpetrated by the Appellants pursuant to their conspiracy, amounts to conspire to overawe or to attempt to wage war against the Government of India,” a bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Shyam Chandak said.
In a detailed order, the HC said that there is “more than sufficient material” available on record, in the form of statements of witnesses and the documents seized from the electronic devices, that they indulged into activity of inciting like minded people to join them to overawe the Government by use of criminal force. “They also conspired to transform India into an Islamic country by 2047. They are not only propagators but actively intending to implement the Vision-2047 document of their organization,” the bench added.
The court noted that there are statements of more than 20 witnesses, multiple conversations between members of the Association inter-se and overwhelming electronic evidence to demonstrate that they, in connivance with other accused persons, have “systematically undertaken activities which are detrimental to the interest and integrity of the nation”.
Although, no overt act or violations has been carried out till today, the material on record clearly indicates that prima facie evidence of conspiracy to commit offence/s punishable under Section 121 of the IPC is made out. The section deals with offence against person who wages war against the Government of India, or attempts to wage such war, or abets the waging of such war.
On June 14, 2022, a new PFI office was inaugurated in front of Jameatus Swalehat Madarsa, Tension Chowk, Azad Nagar, Malegaon. After the inauguration, a secret meeting of some of the PFI members was convened, in which they highlighted the various atrocities being committed against the Muslim Community in India. They emphasised on the need for unity of Muslim Community to wage a war against the country by adopting any mode.
A ‘Fatwa’ was issued and those present in the meeting were told to kill any person who would speak against the Muslim religion. They instigated the Muslim Community to have hatred against the people of other religions so as to cause disturbance in the country, the prosecution claimed. The FIR was registered on September 22, 2022 and they were arrested on the same day. The Government of India banned PFI on September 28.
