Last Updated on May 27, 2026 12:23 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
By A Correspondent / New Delhi
A Special Sessions Court in Cuttack on Tuesday delivered its verdict in the case of noted Islamic scholar Maulana Abdul Rahman Cuttacki, who had been arrested nearly ten years ago on allegations of links with the banned terror outfit Al-Qaeda. The judgment came after the court had earlier reserved its order following the completion of final arguments by both sides.
The case had gained national attention after the Supreme Court of India, while hearing Cuttacki’s bail plea last month, directed the Sessions Court to conclude the trial within two months. Following the apex court’s intervention, the prosecution expedited the proceedings, completed witness testimonies, and sought final arguments. The court subsequently recorded the accused’s statement under Section 313 before pronouncing its verdict today.
Three separate cases related to alleged Al-Qaeda links had been registered against Maulana Cuttacki in Delhi, Jamshedpur, and Cuttack. Throughout the legal proceedings, the case was pursued by the Legal Aid Committee of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and its Maharashtra unit from lower courts up to the Supreme Court. Senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan had informed the Supreme Court that nearly 20 prosecution witnesses had retracted their earlier statements.
Reacting to the verdict, Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani said the judgment once again highlighted how innocent Muslim youths often suffer long imprisonment in terror-related cases before eventually being acquitted. He stressed the need for accountability of investigating agencies and criticized what he described as “biased media trials” that portray accused persons as guilty before evidence is proven.
Maulana Halimullah Qasmi welcomed the verdict, saying the decade-long legal struggle had finally ended with justice for Maulana Abdul Rahman Cuttacki and that the judgment had paved the way for his release from prison.