A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai has ordered that an accused in an alleged ISIS module case be produced through video conference until further orders after he allegedly threatened the presiding judge during a courtroom outburst on Thursday.
The accused, Tabis Sidique, was produced before Special NIA Judge Abhay Joglekar when he allegedly began misbehaving, questioned the name of the court and used abusive language against the judiciary, according to the prosecution and court records cited in the report. The court said Sidique claimed he had no respect for the existing government or the court.
During the incident, Sidique allegedly told the judge that he would “look upon” him and his family. The court strongly condemned the conduct and described it as “highly deprecated”. The order to use video conferencing changes how Sidique will attend future proceedings, while allowing the case to continue without requiring his physical presence in the courtroom.
The court also examined Sidique’s medical records in connection with his conduct. His psychological test had been conducted at the state-run J J Hospital. The court noted that the reports “categorically enumerate no major mental illness at present” and observed that he was “merely pretending to have mental issues so as to evade trial proceedings”. These are observations recorded by the court in the proceedings and do not replace the trial’s determination of the charges against him.
Sidique was arrested in 2023 along with six other people during multiple NIA raids across Maharashtra. The agency has alleged that the group had active links with the Islamic State and was attempting to motivate vulnerable youth to propagate the organisation’s anti-India agenda.
According to the NIA, searches connected with the case led to the recovery of electronic devices, documents and social media material allegedly linked to ISIS. The agency has said the material showed the accused persons’ “strong and active linkages” with the organisation and their alleged efforts to influence vulnerable youth. These allegations remain part of the prosecution case before the court.
The incident places courtroom security and the management of accused persons in sensitive investigations at the centre of the proceedings. Courts must balance orderly hearings and the safety of judicial officers with the legal rights of accused people while a case is pending. In this instance, the special court’s immediate procedural response was to shift the accused’s production to video conference.
The order will remain in force until further directions from the special NIA court. The report did not specify a separate timeline for the next hearing or indicate whether additional security measures had been ordered.
