‘Best day to send message’: SC denies bail to UAPA accused

THE SC OPENED THE HEARING BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE SOMBRE BACKDROP OF THE CAR BLAST NEAR DELHI'S RED FORT

- Utkarsh Anand

A day after a car blast near Delhi's Red Fort claimed 13 lives, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that “today is the best morning to send a message”, as it refused to grant bail to a man facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in an unrelated case.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the accused, Syed Mamoor Ali, opened the hearing by acknowledging the sombre backdrop of the previous day's incident, remarking: “Not the best morning to argue this case after the events of yesterday.”

To this, the bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta responded: “Best morning to send a message.”

Ali, along with others, is accused of a hatching a conspiracy to attack the Jabalpur Ordnance Factory to procure weapons. The bench noted that the prosecution's case included the recovery of inflammatory material and allegations that the accused had formed a WhatsApp group bearing a flag image resembling that of ISIS.