Supreme Court grants bail to PDP chairman Madani, to visit Kerala for a month

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to PDP (People's Democratic Party) chairman Abdul Nasser Madani, who is accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts case.

The Karnataka government had asked the apex court to not grant bail to the controversial leader claiming he was a 'habitual offender'.

However, the court has granted relaxation to Madani for one month under strict conditions.  The bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela Trivedi has asked Madani to bear the expenses that the Karnataka Police will incur during his transportation.

The Kerala Police has to ensure security, the court said in its order.

Madani had requested bail to seek Ayurvedic treatment. The Karnataka Anti-Terrorism Cell had objected to Madani's bail plea claiming he had a history of influencing witnesses and could tamper with evidence.

Madani's lawyers, Kapil Sibal and Haris Beeran had contended that he had already served 12 years in prison and 8 years on conditional bail. Moreover, the lawyers argued that Madani's health condition had worsened and he has memory loss.

Madani had also been accused in the Coimbatore bombings in 1998 and served over nine years in jail. Later, he was acquitted of all charges in that case.