Karnataka cuts Abdul Nasser Madani escort fee

NEW DELHI: A day after the Supreme Court slammed Karnataka for demanding Rs 14.8 lakh from PDP leader and Bengaluru serial blast accused Abdul Nasser Madani to escort him to Kerala, the government of that state reduced the amount to Rs 1.18 lakh. Appearing before a bench of justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, Karnataka’s counsel informed that it had reduced the charge to escort him to Kerala where he would stay for 13 days under police custody. The court then approved the amount and Madani’s lawyer also agreed to pay.Madani (51), facing trial in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts case, was allowed by the court last week to visit his ailing mother and attend the wedding of his son. The court had asked Madani to bear the expenses for the escort team.The state government had earlier contended that Madani should pay 18 police officers, including an ACP, for escorting and providing him security for 13 days. But the apex court objected, asking why police officers should be paid in addition to their salary.