Telangana HC Suspends Life Sentence of Ex-Adilabad Civic Leader in 2020 Murder Case

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has suspended the life sentence of Mohd Farooq Ahmed, the former vice chairman of the Adilabad Municipal Council, and granted him bail pending the disposal of his appeal against his conviction in a December 2020 murder case.

A division bench comprising Justice K. Lakshman and Justice K. Sujana issued the interim direction on Monday. The relief comes in connection with an appeal Ahmed filed in 2022 challenging his conviction by a trial court.

While granting bail, the division bench noted that Ahmed had already spent more than five years in prison since his arrest on December 18, 2020. The court also took into consideration that he has no other pending criminal cases registered against him.

The judges observed that the High Court is currently taking up appeals dating back to 2017 and 2018. Given the backlog, there was no immediate likelihood of taking up Ahmed's 2022 appeal for final hearing anytime soon. Under these circumstances, the bench observed that the case met the precedent parameters established by the Supreme Court for granting relief in such matters.

As part of the bail conditions, the High Court directed Ahmed to furnish a personal bond of Rs 25,000 along with two sureties. The bench also imposed a strict condition prohibiting him from engaging in any criminal activities during the bail period.

The case dates back to December 2020 in Adilabad town, where a violent clash erupted over a street cricket match. During the dispute, Ahmed opened fire using his licensed pistol and attacked three people with a knife. One of the victims, former municipal councillor Syed Zameer, sustained fatal bullet injuries and died.