The 13 SIMI activists arrested from Indore on Thursday were remanded in police custody on Friday, as the local Bar Association refused to represent them describing them as anti-nationals.

The SIMI activists, including all-India chief Safdar Nagori, were produced before CJM S S Thakur amid tight security. But the hearing lasted barely 15 minutes with most of the time taken in identifying the activists who were unmasked before the magistrate.

The District Bar Association held an impromptu meeting in the court premises and passed a resolution banning any of its 300 members from appearing for the accused. “The decision has been taken in the interest of the nation and the society,’ the resolution said.

A large crowd of BJP Yuva Morcha had gathered in the court premises forcing the police to take extra precaution. The Morcha activists raised slogans and burnt an effigy of Nagori. Before the remand proceedings began, the police pressed into service a dog squad to look for explosives in the premises, including the court.

The CJM granted the 14-day remand sought by the police, who said they needed time to arrest more activists, seize more literature and material used in making explosives. Nagori told the magistrate that he and other members would cooperate with the police in their investigation.

The activists are from Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Except Nagori, who is in his late 30s all others are aged between 20 and 30. “They looked composed and offered to cooperate with the police,” district prosecution officer Ashok Chourey told The Indian Express.

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