Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Accused claims illegal arrest, seeks release from jail

The man accused of stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan earlier this year has now filed an application in a Mumbai court claiming his arrest was illegal. Mohammad Shariful Islam, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national currently lodged in Arthur Road Jail, alleged through his lawyer Ajay Gawli that the police violated legal procedures during his arrest.According to PTI, on Friday, Islam withdrew his earlier bail plea and instead approached the Judicial Magistrate First Class (Bandra), requesting the court to declare his arrest unlawful and order his release.According to the application, the arrest was made in “clear and blatant disregard” of Section 47 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), a provision that mandates informing an accused of the grounds for arrest and their right to bail.The plea further stated that the investigating officers failed to provide Islam with written details of the charges against him. It also pointed out that there are no official records to confirm that these mandatory steps were followed.Taking note of the application, the court has directed the police to file a reply and adjourned the matter to May 13.The case dates back to January 16, when 54-year-old actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed multiple times by an intruder inside his 12th-floor apartment in Bandra. He underwent emergency surgery and was discharged from the hospital five days later.According to reports, Saif Ali Khan recounted that the terrifying incident began when he heard the screams of his younger son Jehangir’s nanny, Eliyama Philips. Rushing to the child’s room, Saif came face-to-face with the intruder, who then attacked him, stabbing him multiple times in the back and neck.