Bombay High Court dismisses plea of man acquitted in 26/11 terror case for police clearance to ply autorickshaw

Bombay High Court has dismissed the petition filed by Faheem Arshad Mohammad Yusuf Ansari, who was acquitted in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, seeking a police clearance certificate (PCC) to enable him to drive an autorickshaw for his livelihood, as per reports.

The court reportedly  dismissed the plea stating that the certificate was rightly refused by the authority concerned. Ansari, who filed this petition in January last year after his application for the mandatory PCC required for an RTO badge and permit was rejected. 

The authorities reportedly informed him via an RTI response that the certificate could not be issued due to the alleged association with the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Last year in September, it was reportedly said that Ansari was still under surveillance, justifying the rejection of the certificate. He has reportedly contested the decision as "arbitrary, illegal and discriminatory," arguing that his fundamental right to livelihood was being violated.

Ansari, a calligrapher who used to work at his brother’s printing unit, was accused of drawing maps which aided the 26/11 terrorist, including the lone Pakistani terrorist captured alive during the attacks, Ajmal Kasab. 

He was arrested in December 2008 while he was already in custody for a separate case in Uttar Pradesh and was serving a sentence. In 2010, he and Sabauddin Ahmed were acquitted of charges as the trial court found no substance in allegations that they had helped the attackers by making city maps.