Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Gen Secy Maulana Mehmood Madani released

New Delhi, Nov 29 (UNI) The General Secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Maulana Mehmood Madani, who was arrested on Monday in connection with a 2002 case, was today released by a city court.

The orders for the release of Maulana Mehmood Madani, who was arrested on November 27 in connection with a case registered against him in October 2002 for demonstrating outside the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence, were issued by Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Bansal, after the Government withdrew the case against him.

He, along with his associates, were sent to 14-day judicial custody.

However, in the wake of pressure from several quarters including noted filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, the government withdrew the case against Maulana Mehmood Madani, paving the way for his release.

In fact, in a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, noted filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt condemned the arrest of the Muslim leader.

''If the previous BJP Government was one of the most fascist whose acts smacked of high handedness against the minorities, your regime is no different as it chose to be a mute spectator to the incarceration of those who tried to raise their voices in defence of their democratic right,'' Bhatt said in his letter to the PM and urged him to withdraw the case against the Muslim leader and his associates without delay.

Maulana Mehmood had demonstrated outside the residence of the Prime Minister on October 15, 2002 demanding, among other things, prompt rehabilitation of those affected in wake of the Gujarat riots.

A case has been registered against him under section 188 of the IPC. Subsequently, several summons had been issued against him by the city court.

Finally, when he appeared before the court of Metropolitan magistrate Sanjay Bansal on November 27, he was arrested after he refused to seek bail saying he had done no crime.

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