The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench has granted bail to 11 alleged operatives of terror groups Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), stating that a special NIA court order extending the time for filing the charge sheet in the matter is "illegal".

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police had nabbed the alleged operatives in 2022 and they were accused of aiding in the preparation of sleeper modules for AQIS and JMB in Uttar Pradesh.

A bench of justices AR Masoodi and Manish Kumar Nigam, in its order on Friday, allowed the appeals of the 11 arrested.

It was pleaded on behalf of the appellants that the ATS was legally required to file a charge sheet in the matter within 90 days but it failed to do so.

Meanwhile, the special NIA Court on December 12, 2023, extended the time for filing the charge sheet.

Considering the entire circumstances, the bench observed, "The order of the Special Court extending the period of investigation on an application moved by the Investigating Officer is illegal and against the law," and granted bail for the accused.

Those granted bail are Mohammed Aleem, Mohammad Nawajis Ansari, Lukman, Mudassir, Mohammad Mukhtar, Mohammad Nadeem, Habeedul Islam, Mohammad Harish, Ash Mohammad, Qari Shahjad and Ali Noor.