Hyderabad, November 02: A request by the city police to handcuff terror suspect Viquaruddin Ahmed, citing his erratic nature and chances of escaping from the custody while being brought for trial, was rejected by the Nampally criminal court.
Dismissing the petition filed by the police recently, the magistrate said it was not maintainable as per the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Prison Act.
“No prisoner shall be brought to court handcuffed,” the judge ruled.
At present, Viquaruddin is in the custody of Ahmedabad police as he is an accused in the murder of a police constable there, besides being involved in a robbery. Earlier, he was lodged in the Charlapally jail here when he was sent in judicial remand.
It is the Armed Reserve police who escort prisoners from jail to court for case hearings. It is learnt that the police are yet to decide whether to prefer an appeal in a higher court.
Viquaruddin, who floated Tehreek Galba-e-Islam (TGI), after being elusive for several years was caught by the city police in July.
He spread terror by gunning down two police constables. He was also involved in opening fire at an intelligence constable at Santosh Nagar a couple of years ago.
He floated TGI allegedly to avenge the police firing on demonstrators after the Mecca Masjid blast in May 2007.
–Agencies