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Supreme Court of India, Sibi Mathews | Photo: PTI, Mathrubhumi
New Delhi: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a petition in the Supreme Court, requesting to quash the anticipatory bail granted to former DGP Sibi Mathews. Sibi Mathews is the fourth accused in the conspiracy allegedly plotted to frame former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan and others in the ISRO espionage case.
The appeal has been submitted against the High Court order that nullified the time limit fixed over the anticipatory bail. In the petition, CBI pointed out that Sibi Mathews has to be quizzed under custody for obtaining evidence in the conspiracy case concerning the espionage case of 1994.
The Sessions Court of Thiruvananthapuram had granted anticipatory bail for Sibi Mathews in August 2021 under certain conditions. The court had directed a time limit of 60 days for availing the bail. However, the High Court quashed this time limit following an appeal filed by the accused. The CBI has questioned this move of the High Court through the petition lodged at the Supreme Court.
When the High Court granted bail to Sibi Mathews, the time limit of the anticipatory bail granted by the Sessions Court had already ended. CBI noted that the anticipatory bail does not refer to a bail that will extend until the trial ends. The petition will be considered by a Supreme Court bench, including Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice JB Pardiwala on Tuesday.
Another petition demanding to scrap the anticipatory bail granted to other accused including Intelligence Bureau former deputy director RB Sreekumar, S Vijayan, Thambi S Durga Dutt and PS Jayaprakash is being considered by the apex court.
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