RAWALPINDI, May 13: An anti-terrorism court here on Tuesday granted bail to former chief cleric of Lal Masjid Maulana Abdul Aziz in seven cases, but rejected his bail application in the last one.

The case in which he was denied bail related to occupation and destruction of a children’s library near Jamia Hafsa last year.

The case was registered with Aabpara police under section 427 (mischief causing damage to property), 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal), 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation) of Pakistan Penal Code and sections six and seven of the Anti Terrorism Act.

His counsel pleaded before the ATC-1 Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman that there had been no direct link of his client to the occupation and ultimate burning of the library, as the students of Jamia Hafsa were controlled by Majida Aziz alias Umme Hassan, who had already been granted bail in all cases.

The prosecution lawyer, however, argued that Jamia Hafsa was associated with Lal Masjid and both were managed by Maulana Aziz who abetted the occupation of public property and its destruction.

The seven cases in which the maulana was granted bail against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each were registered with the Aabpara police. The Islamabad High Court and the ATC have already granted him bail in 26 other cases.

Meanwhile, the RA Bazaar police submitted an application to the ATC-1 judge seeking his directives to the administration of Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore to shift a man, charged with his involvement in the murder of a police official, to the central jail Adiala where the court has been conducting the trial of three other accused due to sectarian nature of the case.

On the last hearing, the judge had asked the police to produce Mohammad Rizwan alias Chotto, one of the accused persons in the killing of Inspector Raja Mohammad Saqlain and his driver in 2004, before the court in the Adiala jail.

Three other accused - Hammad Abbasi, Tahir Abbasi and Eid Mohammad - are already in the jail facing the trial.

Meanwhile, additional district and sessions judge Mohammad Masroor Zaman convicted two men in two different cases of narcotics.

In the first case, Abdul Ghafoor was awarded 18 months’ imprisonment with a fine of Rs20,000 in a case registered with the RA Bazaar police in 2006.

In the second case, Mohammad Akhtar was awarded 10 months’ imprisonment and Rs20,000 fine for carrying 1,100 grams charas.