New Delhi: A Delhi court on December 21 discharged leader of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) Mohammed Javed Iqbal in a sedition and unlawful activities case and dropped sedition charges against its president Shahid Badar and three others.

While discharging Iqbal, additional sessions judge H S Sharma granted bail to Badar and four others in the case on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 each and sureties of like amount.

The court also dropped sedition charge against Badar in another case and granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 and one surety.

In the first case, sedition charges were dropped against Badar and three other SIMI activists-Irfan Ahmed, Mohammed Khalid and Saif Nachan, but charges of promoting social disharmony under section 153-A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were retained.

Charges under section 153-A were retained against a Mohammed Naiyer in whose press SIMI literature were printed.

In the second case, the court dropped sedition charges against Badar and retained those under section 153-A and section 505 (1) (b) and (c), relating to causing fear in the public and inducing a person to commit offences against the state, and inciting one community against another.

The court granted bail to the accused at the stage of framing of charges on the grounds that they had remained in judicial custody for more than a year after the Centre's notification banning SIMI was issued on September 26, 2001.

Discharging Iqbal, the court said there was no material against him except his confessional statement.

Ordering framing of charges under the sections retained by the court against the accused, the judge said Naiyer, in whose printing press the material confiscated by the police was allegedly printed, would not be tried under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as the printing was done prior to the ban notification.

Police had charge sheeted them on December 20 last year for alleged anti-national and unlawful activities after they were found distributing objectionable printed material and hand bills in Jamia Nagar area.

The first information reports were registered at the Friends Colony police station accusing them of distributing printed material, which allegedly propagated anti- national and anti-social sentiments.

The police action followed the Centre's ban on SIMI, which was later upheld by a review tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court Judge S K Agarwal.

PTI