Sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2006 Mumbai local train blasts case, Mohammed Sajid Ansari has sought interim bail before the Bombay High Court citing the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 42-year-old resident of Mira Road, along with 11 others, was convicted by a special court in 2015 for their involvement in the train blasts which killed 188 and injured over 800. While five of the men were sentenced to death, seven others, including Ansari, alleged to have provided material and support for the terror attack, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Ansari has been behind the bars since 2006.

In his plea, Ansari has said that having spent 14 years in jails, he has “already undergone substantial police and judicial custody”. “…with the current (pandemic) scenario, the present applicant (Ansari) can quarantine himself at his home for a period of at least two months to avoid contracting the coronavirus disease inside the prison,” the plea stated.

Currently lodged at Nashik Central Jail, Ansari said the prison was overcrowded and following social-distancing norms were not possible. “Till date, there is no medical check-up inside the prison after the outbreak and it is difficult to follow and adhere to these guidelines. This, in turn, poses a serious threat to the applicant’s life and health,” the plea stated.

In March, a high-powered committee set up on directions of the Supreme Court had directed that undertrials and convicts be released on temporary bail or parole with exceptions including those booked under sections including Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. Ansari was found guilty under sections of the Act.

The committee, however, had directed courts to make a decision based on the circumstances of each case.

While the appeal against the conviction of the 12 men in the blasts case is pending before the Bombay High Court, Ansari has claimed in his interim bail plea that he was framed in the case after being illegally detained and summoned twice.