Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, an agent associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and other terrorist outfits and defendants in a 2007 terror financing case, on Saturday became the first such defendant to wear the ankle tracker, ordered by Special NIAcourt in Jammu while granting his interim bail. Sources said the consent of Bhat, who was earlier convicted in an NIA terror case in which he has already served his entire 12-year sentence and is now an undertrial in a terror financing case registered in Udhampur, to wear the device was recorded by the court.
While GPS trackers are used in countries like the US, UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to track the movement of accused on bail, parole and house arrest, there was no such provision in India.
Given the strict warranty provisions under UAPA, courts usually refrain from granting bail to those charged under the law, fearing that they might post bail. This always leads to prison congestion.
A government officer said that J&K Police is the pioneer police department to provide GPS tracking bikes to bailees. This can be done in cases of terrorism and drugs.
Incidentally, the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, in its report of 24 August 2023 on prison reforms, suggested exploring the technology to produce cost-effective bracelets or ankle trackers for bail prisoners.
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