Abdunnasir Ma'dani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1966-01-18)18 January 1966 (age 59) |
| Political party | Peoples Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Soofiya Ma'dani |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Jami'a Nooriyya Arabic College |
| Occupation |
|
Abdul Nasar Ma'dani (born 18 January 1966),[1] also spelledAbdunnasir Ma'dani,[2] is an Indian politician andIslamic cleric. He is the leader ofPeoples Democratic Party (PDP) fromKerala.[3]
Mahdani was accused of involvement in1998 Coimbatore bombings, but was acquitted of all charges after spending9+1⁄2 years inCoimbatore Central Prison.[4][5] He is currently under judicial custody atKarnataka in relation to the2008 Bangalore serial blasts.[6]
Ma'dani was born in Anvarserry,Mynagappally, Kollam district to Abdul Samad and Asma Beevi on 18 January 1966.[7][8] He is married to Soofiya Ma'dani and has three children; a daughter named Shameera Jauhara and two sons named Umar Mukhthar and Salaludin Ayoobi. Shameera is married to Nizam, a native ofKarunagappalli. Umar Mukhthar is married to Nihammat, a native ofThalassery.[9]
Ma'dani's wife, Soofiya, was the tenth accused in 2005Kalamassery bus burning case.[10]
Ma'dani lost his right leg on 6 August 1992, following a bombing attack near Anwarserry, and has used aprosthetic leg since then.[11][12][13][14]
At a young age, Mahdani began delivering sermons at a localmosque in theKollam district. His oratory skills were well received, and he soon built up a following.[15] He subsequently formed the Islamic Seva Sangh (ISS) in 1989. This organization was banned following theDemolition of the Babri Masjid. In 1992, he launched a new outfit namedPeoples Democratic Party (India), calling forMuslim-Dalit movement.[16]
Though Mahdani was jailed in 1998, his outfit backed theUnited Democratic Front in the2001 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, and theLeft Democratic Front in the2006 Kerala Legislative Assembly election.[17] He and his political outfit were in alliance withCommunist Party of India (Marxist) for the2009 Indian general election.[18] Mahdani is still the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Mahdani delivered a speech at theChengara Adivasi Protest in support of thestruggle in May 2008. He declared the objective of Muslim-Dalit-Adivasi Unity under the banner of "Power toAvarnas and Liberation to The Oppressed[19][20]
Ma'dani was arrested by theKerala Police under the leadership ofJacob Thomas IPS on March 31, 1998 inKaloor, in connection with1998 Coimbatore bombings. He was initially shifted toKozhikode and then toTamil Nadu.[21] He was released on August 1, 2007 after acquittal in this case.[22]
In March 16, 2006, theKerala Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution seeking the release of Ma'dani on humanitarian grounds fromCoimbatore Central Prison in connection with 1998 blasts.[23]
ThePeoples Democratic Party and politicians likeK. T. Jaleel also petitioned for the release of Ma'dani.[24]
With the aim of providing legal and financial aid to Ma'dani, the Justice For Ma'dani Forum was constituted under the aegis of various Muslim organisations on 25 August 2010.[25] The Justice for Ma'dani Forum demanded that the Bangalore blast case, in which Ma'dani was listed among the accused, should be probed by any agency outside the state of Karnataka, preferably by theNational Investigation Agency.[26]
There is a section of society who claims that Ma'dani was unlawfully kept in undertrial for too long and was framed.[27]
Ma'dani was arrested by a joint team ofKarnataka Police andKerala Police from his residence in theKollam district on August 17, 2010.[28] He was lodged inCentral Prison, Bangalore after the arrests.
In March 2013, Mahdani was granted a 5-day interim bail to attend his daughter's wedding and to visit his ailing father.[29] During this time, he made controversial remarks during a speech at his daughter's wedding.[30] On 21 October 2013, the Supreme Court of India directed the Karnataka Government to immediately shift Mahdani to a private hospital for treatment. The court also allowed his wife to come with him as a bystander during his hospital stay.[31] In November 2014, theGovernment of Karnataka submitted that the enquiries for trial will be completed in six months.[32]
On 24 July 2017, his bail application for attending his son's marriage on 9 August was initially rejected by NIA court. In response to this, the PDP called for statewideHartal in Kerala on 26 July 2017.[33] Later, theSupreme Court of India granted him 7 day bail from Aug 7 - August 14 to attend his son's wedding inThalassery.[9]
In October 2018, he was granted bail to visit his ailing mother.[8] In 2021, the Supreme Court rejected his plea for further relaxations in 2014 bail conditions.[34]
Mahdani had set up the Islamic Seva Sangh in 1989. It was banned in 1992 for alleged subversive acts, along withSIMI andJamaat-e-Islami, following theBabri Masjid demolition.[15][35][36]
There were numerous cases charged against him by the Kerala Police for making inflammatory speeches and issuing vitriolic communal statements after the Babri Masjid demolition. There are nearly 24 cases charged against Mahdani in Kerala.[37]
Mahdani was allegedly involved in the1998 Coimbatore bombings, which killed 58 people. He was imprisoned for nine years in this case inTamil Nadu. Later, Mahdani was acquitted of all charges in this case.[38]
Investigators allege that suspected South India commander of theLashkar-e-Taiba, Thadiyantavide Nazeer, came into militancy through ISS founded by Mahdani.[39][40] Nazeer is suspected to have established links with LeT[40][41] and was picked up by Bangladeshi authorities and handed over to BSF on theMeghalaya border.[40][42] In connection with the Bangalore blast case, police have presented phone records to the court proving that Ma'dani contacted the main accused several times both before and after the blast. Phone calls were made from a number registered in Ma'dani's wife's name.[43][44]
According to police, after orchestrating the blasts, Nazeer went into hiding at Ma'dani's office in Anvarssery.[45] However, Ma'dani's advocate, B. V. Acharya, has contended that it is "only a make believe theory to implicate Ma'dani".[46] Nazeer also confessed that he coordinated the 2005Kalamassery bus burning case for the release of Ma'dani from Coimbatore jail.
Ma'dani is lodged in Karnataka jail and is in judicial custody for his involvement in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts, which killed one person and injured 20 more, and for similar incidents inAhmedabad, Surat, andJaipur.[47] As per former Karnataka State Home MinisterV. S. Acharya, Mahdani also allegedly admitted a role in the2010 Bangalore stadium bombing on 17 April 2010,[48] which he had denied earlier.[49][50] This assertion regarding a confession was rejected by Mahdani's counsel, who said that the allegation was baseless, devoid of facts, and politically motivated.[51] After a court issued a fresh, non-bailable warrant,[52] Mahdani claimed that he proffered to surrender, so as to avoid 'unpleasant situations' when he was arrested.[53]
On 11 February 2011, theKarnataka High Court rejected Mahdani's plea, stating that there is no direct evidence of conspiracies against Ma'dani.[54] At the final hearing,Justice Markandey Katju stated that "he was wondering as to how a person on a wheel chair could pose a threat if released on bail."[55] TheSupreme Court bench was divided on the matter of granting bail to Mahdani and posted the matter toChief Justice of India to form a new bench to decide on the plea.[56] However, in 2013-14 court relaxed bail conditions, and Ma'dani was granted bail on personal grounds by courts multiple times between 2013 and 2018. In 2020, Chief Justice of IndiaSharad Arvind Bobde called Ma'Dani a dangerous man during a plea for further relaxation in bail conditions.[32]
Madhani has been named the first accused in a case registered in 2013 relating to the alleged attempt in 1998 to murder RSS ideologueP. Parameswaran and Father K. K. Alavi, a convert into Christianity from Islam.[57] The case relates to Ma'dani offering money for the murder of both individuals. Ma'dani dismissed the charges and said he was not involved in it and the alleged political conspiracy against him.[57] In September 2015, Crime Branch submitted to the court that Parameswaran and Alavi stated that they had never faced any attempt on their life as alleged in the complaint and that no evidence could be obtained to substantiate this allegation against Mahdani.[58][59]
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