Senior separatist leader Naeem Ahmed Khan | File photo | photo credit: Nisar Ahmed
The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought response of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on separatist leader Naeem Ahmed Khan’s plea seeking bail in a terror-financing case involving 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
A bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Talwant Singh issued notice to the NIA and asked it to file a reply on the plea challenging the trial court order denying bail to the accused.
The High Court listed the matter for further hearing on March 23.
Mr Khan has challenged the trial court’s December 3, 2022 order rejecting his bail plea, which said there was prima facie evidence available against the accused.
Mr Khan, a leader of the Hurriyat Conference, was arrested on July 24, 2017 and is currently in judicial custody.
The trial court in its order dated December 3, 2022 had said that the charges were framed against the accused in March 2022 and that order has neither been stayed nor quashed, despite being challenged in the High Court Is.
It said the accused was prima facie involved in terrorism financing activities and had led a rally in support of ISIS and visited the area where terrorists were killed.
An over 12,000-page chargesheet was filed by the NIA against Mr Saeed, Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin and others for “conspiring to wage war against the government” and fomenting disturbances in the Kashmir Valley.
Lashkar terrorist Mr. Saeed was also accused of using the services of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was a co-accused in the case, to pay money to separatists and some persons who were actively involved in stone-pelting in various areas. were. Valley, the NIA had said in the charge sheet.
The agency has booked Pakistan-based terrorists Mr Saeed and Mr Salahuddin and others for the alleged offenses of criminal conspiracy and sedition under stringent provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.