2008 Bengaluru blast case accused Abdul Madani hospitalised after landing in Kerala

The accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blast case Abdul Nasser Madani was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi after falling ill. Madani had earlier called off his trip to Kerala after the Supreme Court rejected his plea to reduce the cost charged by the Karnataka police for his security. 

Kochi: The accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blast case and People's Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Abdul Nasser Madani landed in Kerala on Monday evening from Bengaluru after the Supreme Court gave a nod to travel to his hometown to visit his ailing father. However, as soon as he started to Kollam from Kochi airport, Madani started feeling ill and was taken to a private hospital immediately.

According to reports, Madani vomited several times and suffered from high blood pressure. 

Since 2014, Madani has been released on bail after the Supreme Court gave him relief due to the ill health of the undertrial, but he is not permitted to leave Bengaluru. On a request for a relaxation of the bail restrictions set by it, the top court allowed him permission to travel to Kerala in April 2023. However, the Karnataka government demanded an "exorbitant" sum for the security of the PDP leader, which caused his visit to be postponed.

Madani got a warm reception from his followers on his arrival at the international airport in Kochi on Monday evening. This was his second visit to the state in six years. Speaking to the media prior to leaving Bengaluru, Madani said that he had been "trapped in a deliberate manner" and that it was "embarrassing" for the nation's court system to hold people as undertrial detainees for years at a time. 

People's Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Madani was accused of involving in the 1998 Coimbatore bombings but was acquitted of all charges after spending nine and half years in Coimbatore Central Prison.

Earlier, the Karnataka government had opposed Madani's relaxation in bail conditions in the Supreme Court. The affidavit states that Madani is accused in a case that threatens the nation's integrity and security.