New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has directed authorities to ensure the presence of Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and three others, arrested in several terror cases, as required before various courts across the country through video conferencing,

The high court was hearing a plea by alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives Asadullah Akhtar, Zia-Ur-Rehman, Tahseen Akhtar and Ahmed Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal seeking quashing of an order passed by the central government restricting their mobility from Tihar jail where they are currently lodged.

Also Read | Vladimir Putin India Visit: Russian President Accepts PM Narendra Modi's Invitation To Visit Delhi for Annual High-Level Meeting.

Their counsel had contended that proceedings in courts were facing "undue delay" as the accused had not been physically present during hearings.

The counsel for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) submitted that the petitioners were classified as high-risk prisoners and their transportation entailed considerable logistical and security arrangements, involving significant public expenditure.

Also Read | Sonu Nigam Concert Controversy: Karnataka Police Summons Singer To Probe Linking of Kannada Song Demand to Pahalgam Terror Attack.

The high court said while the concerns raised by the petitioners regarding a delay in trial are not unfounded, it is equally important to ensure that courtroom security, logistical practicality and institutional resources are not overburdened without compelling necessity.

Justice Sanjeev Narula said these accused should be produced through video conferencing before trial courts, be it in Delhi or any other part of the country, unless their physical presence is specifically mandated by the court for a particular purpose.

The accused, in their plea filed in 2023, urged that they be moved out of Delhi prison and shifted to Central Prison Hyderabad, citing their appeal before the High Court of Telangana.

The court was informed that during the pendency of this petition, the High Court of Telangana on April 8, 2025, dismissed the appeal of the four accused against the death penalty awarded to them in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar blasts case.

"The court directs that the presence of the petitioners before trial courts, whether in Delhi or in any other part of the country, shall be ensured through video conferencing, unless their physical presence is specifically mandated by the trial court for a particular purpose," Justice Narula said in an order passed on April 30.

"The concerned jail superintendents shall make all requisite arrangements for securing video link facilities, and the prosecuting agencies shall ensure that proceedings are not stymied on account of avoidable absence of the accused," the order said.

Advocates M S Khan, Prashant Prakash and Quasar Khan, representing the petitioners, submitted that the accused were required to be produced in person before various special courts where trials are pending.

The counsel said their non-production was leading to undue delay in the conclusion of proceedings not only linked to the petitioners but also to their co-accused.

The petitioners' lawyers contended that multiple hearings have been rendered unproductive for want of physical production of the petitioners, despite the issuance of appropriate production warrants.

The NIA counsel said appropriate steps were being taken to facilitate the petitioners' presence via video conferencing, wherever permissible, so that trial proceedings may progress without avoidable delay.

According to NIA's FIR lodged in September 2012, members of IM, in association with other IM sleeper cells based in the country and others, were conspiring to commit terror acts by making preparations for targeting various important and prominent places in India, especially in Delhi, by causing bomb blasts with the active aid and support from their Pakistan-based operatives and associates, thus, waging war against the government of India.

Bhatkal and Asadullah Akhtar were arrested on August 29, 2013, and Tahsin Akhtar and Rehman were arrested on May 5, 2014, in the case.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)