Jailed for allegedly forging RT-PCR in UP: Kerala women back home after a month

Kochi: Three women from Kerala who were arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police for allegedly falsifying RT-PCR tests have been granted bail and released from jail. Muhsina (31), her mother-in-law Naseema (62) and Haleema (65) were arrested while travelling to UP to visit their relatives arrested for UAPA cases there.

The women were arrested on September 25. The Lucknow Additional Sessions Court granted bail on October 23 saying the police had no evidence to show that the women had Covid-19. They were released from prison on October 31, reported The News Minute.

Muhsina's husband Anshad Badruddin and Haleema's son Firoz were arrested in February 2021 while they were travelling to New Delhi. The UP Police accused them of planning bomb blasts. They are members of the Popular Front of India (PFI).

Advocate Naseer, who represented the women, told The News Minute that a police report and Tahasildar's report were delayed on purpose to keep the women in jail for a few more days after getting bail. He argued in court that the women arrived in UP with negative RT-PCR results from a Kerala lab. They were forced to take another test in Lucknow. "Why should the women be jailed? If anyone has to be questioned, it is the lab."