ISIS module accused threatens NIA judge, court shifts hearing online

An accused in the Mumbai ISIS module case threatened the special NIA judge during a hearing. The court said he was feigning mental illness to dodge trial and shifted his production online.The accused threatened the judge, saying he would 'look upon' him and his family. (Representational Photo- Pexels)Mumbai,Oct 8, 2026 22:46 ISTA man arrested in an ISIS module case threatened the presiding judge during a hearing in a special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday and said he had "no respect for the existing government" and "no respect for the court".Following the outburst, the court directed that accused Tabis Sidique be produced only through video conference until further orders. After reviewing his medical records, the court also said he was "merely pretending to have mental issues so as to evade trial proceedings".When Sidique was produced before special NIA judge Abhay Joglekar, he started misbehaving and asked the name of the court. Court records said the accused used "filthy language" against the judiciary.He then threatened the judge, saying he would "look upon" him and his family. The court condemned his conduct and said it was "highly deprecated". While examining his medical records, the court noted that a psychological test had been conducted at the state-run JJ Hospital and that the reports "categorically enumerate no major mental illness at present". Sidique was among the seven accused arrested by the NIA in July 2023 during multiple raids in the state in the ISIS module case.According to the NIA, the accused allegedly had active links with Islamic State and were trying to motivate vulnerable youth to propagate the terror organisation's anti-India agenda. The agency said searches at their homes led to the recovery of incriminating material, including electronic gadgets, documents related to the terror organisation and social media posts.The NIA said the seized material exposed the accused persons' alleged links with ISIS and their efforts to motivate vulnerable youth to further the organisation's anti-India agenda.The hearing ended with the court ordering that Sidique be produced through video conference, while reiterating from the medical record that he had no major mental illness at present and was trying to evade the trial proceedings.- Ends