The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Abdul Sathar, former secretary general of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Kerala, in connection with the 2022 murder of RSS leader Srinivasan in Palakkad district.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that there was no direct involvement of Sathar in the assassination. "You cannot put someone in jail for their ideology.

This is the trend we find. It is because they have adopted a particular ideology, they are put in jail," the bench remarked while addressing the counsel representing the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Earlier, on June 25, 2024, the Kerala High Court had granted bail to 17 out of 26 accused PFI members, who are also facing trial for allegedly inciting communal violence in Kerala and other parts of the country. The High Court imposed strict bail conditions, including mandatory disclosure of mobile phone numbers and real-time GPS tracking to aid the ongoing investigation.

Following the murder of Srinivasan, the central government had alleged the existence of a wider conspiracy orchestrated by PFI leaders, claiming it carried serious national and international implications. The Centre handed over the investigation to the NIA, which filed its primary charge sheet in 2023, followed by two supplementary charge sheets.