MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi Placed in Judicial Custody for 2005 Medak Abuse Case

Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday was remanded to judicial custody after he surrendered before a Hyderabad court in connection to an 8-year-old case against him.

Asaduddin, a member of parliament from the Andhra Pradesh, is expected to be in custody till Feb 2 and is barred from seeking bail due to the repeated instances of failing to show up for court hearings, reported Zee News.

Reports said that the court will hear his petition on Tuesday.

On April 16, 2005, the MIM supremo had protested a road-widening project from being carried out near a Mosque in Medak district. Police booked him under various charges including criminal intimidation, rioting and promoting enmity between religious groups.  Asaduddin's brother Akbaruddin is also among the accused in the case.

The Owaisi brothers had obtained bail from police custody and appeared before court. After 2010, the duo had stopped attending the next hearings. The non-bailable warrants (NBW) issued against them were not executed.

On Jan 11, the Medak police filed charges against Akbaruddin in connection to the case and brought him to in a court in Sangareddy town on Thursday.

Medak superintendent of police G Vijay Kumar told The Times of India, "We moved the petition only against Akbaruddin since an NBW is pending against him."

Earlier this month, Akbaruddin, a state MLA, surrendered before police under the sedition charges for his 'hate speech'.  His inflammatory speech at a public event in Adilabad on Dec 24 led to charges of promoting communal hatred, insulting religious beliefs, and waging war against the Union.

Following his arrest, Akbaruddin was placed in Adilabad district jail and had undergone a series of treatment for his health problems. He was said to have sustained several injuries from a botched assassination attempt on him two years ago.