No respite for Akbaruddin Owaisi in hate speech case

A court in Medak district today granted bail to jailed MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in connection with a case for preventing officials from performing their duties, while another court in Nizambad district turned down his bail plea in a "hate" speech case.

Medak Additional Principal and Sessions Judge granted bail to Akbaruddin and directed him to submit two sureties of Rs10,000 each.

Seeking bail for Akbaruddin, his counsel had yesterday pleaded before the court that his client will be present before the court whenever directed to do so.

Akbaruddin, who had been attacked by his rivals in April 2011 in Hyderabad over a land dispute, needed to visit foreign countries for treatment, the counsel had submitted.

A court in Sangareddy had already granted bail to his elder brother and MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, also an accused in the case.

The Owaisi brothers and others, including four party MLAs were booked by Patancheru police in Medak for allegedly obstructing the then Medak district Collector and other government officials from discharging their duties in 2005.

Meanwhile, a Nizamabad court, where Akbaruddin has been booked for allegedly delivering a hate speech, rejected his bail plea.

The court while upholding the contentions of the prosecution fixed February 12 as the date for recording his voice sample, which will be done in the presence of experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

The prosecution, while opposing Akbaruddin's bail petition, had yesterday argued that there would be some "impediments" to the FSL experts to test his voice records if he is released on bail.

Multiple cases have been registered against Akbaruddin for his alleged hate speeches delivered in Nizamabad on December 8 and at Nirmal town of Adilabad on December 22 last year.

Akbaruddin, the MIM's floor leader in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, is presently in judicial remand and lodged in the Adilabad district jail since January 9 after his arrest by Nirmal police from Gandhi Hospital here on January 8.