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Arun Jaitley lauds NIA for ISIS module bust, defends Govt’s data ‘snooping’ order

Earlier on Wednesday, the NIA conducted searches at 17 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with its probe into a new ISIS module styled as ‘Harkat ul Harb e Islam’ and arrested 10 accused.

SNS | New Delhi | December 27, 2018 2:16 pm

Arun Jaitley lauds NIA for ISIS module bust, defends Govt’s data ‘snooping’ order

Arun Jaitley (Photo: Facebook)

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday defended the Government decision on monitoring of computers by 10 security and intelligence agencies as he praised the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the cracking the ISIS-styled terror module in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

“Well done NIA for cracking the dangerous terrorist module,” Jaitley said.

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Supporting the government move, the finance minister tweeted a question, “Would this crackdown of the terrorist module by NIA have been possible without interception of electronic communications?”

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Slamming the previous UPA government and taking a dig at former finance minister P Chidambaram, he asked, “Were the maximum intercepts done during the UPA Government? Surely George Orwell was not born in May 2014”.

He further said “national security and sovereignty were paramount” adding that “life and personal liberty will survive only in a strong democratic nation – not in a terrorist-dominated state”.

The Cyber and Information Security division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, in a major step, authorised 10 investigating agencies to intercept and monitor information in any computer source. The order was signed by Union Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba.

Read | Govt empowers probe agencies to snoop on any computer, intercept data

With the new order, the probe agencies can intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer source under 69 (1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Reacting to the development, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram likened the order with the Orwellian state — a condition that George Orwell identified as destructive for a free society.

“Not studied the matter, but if anybody is going to monitor computers then it is an Orwellian state,” he was quoted as saying by media reports.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury accused the government of treating every Indian as a criminal.

Meanwhile, earlier on Wednesday, the NIA conducted searches at 17 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with its probe into a new ISIS module styled as ‘Harkat ul Harb e Islam’, which was in an advanced stage of carrying out a series of blasts.

Read | 25 kg explosives seized in new ISIS module bust in UP, Delhi; VIPs, politicians were targets

The group was allegedly planning to carry out blasts in north India, especially in the national capital.

A total of 10 accused were arrested after an initial interrogation of the 16 suspects. Gang leader of the module, one Mufti Sohail who stays in Delhi and is a native of Amroha in UP where he works at a mosque, was also among the arrested.

Large quantities of explosive material, weapons and ammunition including a country made rocket launcher have been recovered so far, Inspector General of NIA Alok Mittal had informed.

According to the agency, the terror module’s targets were political persons, other important personalities and security installations.

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# India

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.