NEW DELHI, April 3: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday denied bail to Moirangthem Anand Singh, who was arrested for allegedly conspiring with Myanmar-based rebel groups to wage war against India by exploiting the ongoing ethnic unrest in Manipur.

A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma ruled that granting him bail could pose a flight risk and lead to the influencing of witnesses. The court emphasized that the prevailing volatile situation in Manipur, coupled with past protests demanding Singh’s release, justified concerns over law and order deterioration if he were granted bail.

“Considering the volatile situation that exists in Manipur and the circumstances that had earlier led to his release on bail, including the protests, it can clearly be said that enlarging the appellant on bail would not only entail flight risk but also the possibility of witnesses being influenced in the present case as also deterioration of law and order,” the bench stated.

The court observed that the allegations against Singh were serious and had significant implications for public order and national security. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had presented a prima facie case against him, supported by material evidence of his alleged involvement in unlawful activities.

According to the court, Singh failed to meet the legal criteria for bail under Section 439 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which considers the gravity of the offence, the likelihood of influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence, and the possibility of absconding.

Singh was arrested in September 2023 from Manipur and taken to Delhi for interrogation. He was among five individuals arrested by the Manipur Police for allegedly possessing weapons stolen from a police armoury. The NIA charged him in a case related to a “transnational conspiracy” by Myanmar-based terror groups aiming to wage war against the Indian government.

The NIA registered the case on July 19, 2023, in Delhi, and its investigation revealed that proscribed terror groups were recruiting over-ground workers, cadres, and sympathizers to bolster their ranks and carry out attacks on security forces and opposing ethnic groups amid the Manipur unrest. The agency also claimed these groups were accumulating arms, ammunition, and explosives through illegal means, including looting government resources.

The high court noted that the violent protests demanding Singh’s release demonstrated the influence he wielded in the region. It cited instances of attacks on police stations, pressure exerted on law enforcement officials, public prosecutors, and even the judiciary, describing them as serious concerns in maintaining law and order.

“The manner in which such a serious law and order situation was created seeking his release itself shows the power he wields in the area. The propensity of such situations being created, i.e., attacks on police stations, pressure on local police officials, pressure on public prosecutors, pressure on the court, etc., is a cause for serious concern,” the court remarked.

Given these considerations, the court ruled that Singh would remain in custody, denying him bail at this stage of the legal proceedings.