Ma’dani, accused of conspiracy in the 2008 Bangalore blasts, had on Sunday offered to surrender before the nearest court as soon as possible but he did not turn up in any courts Monday. Kerala police also refused to arrest him saying the warrant was issued by the Bangalore court to the Karnataka police.

“We requested their cooperation and they offered all help for us to arrest him but that is not coming. Neither is he surrendering before the court as promised. So we have to look into some other options,” Karnataka Home Minister B.S. Acharya said.

His Kerala counterpart Kodiyeri Balakrishnan denied the charges saying no court had asked the state government to arrest Ma’dani and hand him over to Karnataka. The LDF government arrested him in 1998 and transferred him to Tamil Nadu but he was acquitted in 2007 after spending nearly a decade as an under-trial prisoner there. It apparently wants to avoid a similar embarrassment.

“He had already made it clear that he would surrender in court and we are expecting it anytime. The arrest warrant is with the Karnataka police and it is up to them to decide on executing it,” Balakrishnan said.

Ma’dani had already moved the Supreme Court against his arrest and the apex court is expected to consider his petition against custodial interrogation on Tuesday, the day when the arrest warrant issued against him expires.

His followers barring a few leaders have left his Anwarussery campus in Mainagappally village in Kollam district which houses a mosque, orphanage and educational institutions Monday as the police brought the area under control with the induction of hundreds of forces in riot gear. Local officials also put up a notice in front it asking the management to evacuate all those inside other than the regular inmates and remove stored weapons, if any.

The PDP state committee was to meet here in the morning but the police prevented it as prohibition orders against unlawful assembly of more than four people were in force. PDP leaders also alleged that the police were trying to “smoke them out” by snapping all supplies to the campus.

Imams of five prominent mosques in the state capital also issued a statement against laying siege on the campus in the holy month of Ramadan. The signatories led by Palayam Jama Masjid imam Jamaludheen Mankada said the government should take Ma’dani’s statement that he was innocent at the face value and protect him.

Representatives of some 15 organizations, including the Muslim Educational Society (MSS), Muslim Service Society (MSS), Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema (SKJU) and Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) groups and the Jama’at-e-Islami (JI) had the other day made a representation to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan against the arrest of the cleric-turned-politician.

However, the Indian Union Muslim league, the key ally of the opposition Congress party distanced themselves from the groups and said it was for the law taking its own course. Ma’dani supported the LDF in the 2006 assembly elections from jail and campaigned actively for the LDF candidates in 2009 parliamentary polls and fielded its own candidate with the LDF support in Ponnani whom the IUML candidate defeated,

Meanwhile, a team of doctors who examined him said his health was apparently stable despite mild fever, symptoms of sinusitis and diabetic lesions and he is on antibiotic. The 45-year-old had a history of cardiac problems. Also, he lost his right leg in an attempt on his life in 1992.

“We have taken samples of his blood and we cannot make further observations on his health conditions before the lab report comes. His blood sugar values have touched 285 and he’s on fasting,” said interventional cardiologist Dr Gopalakrishnan who led the team.

A three-member team from Karanataka police led by a circle inspector was camping in Kollam for the past six days. They were joined Tuesday by Joint Police Commissioner of Bangalore Alok Kumar, who heads the special investigation team and Deputy Commissioner Omkarayya, who recorded the statements against Ma’dani earlier.

The two senior officers also met Kerala’s Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose and Kollam District Superintendent of Police Harshitha Attalloori and discussed the arrest prospects.