Delhi HC bars Red Fort blast accused from meeting lawyer at NIA headquarters
New Delhi: In a move widely seen as biased against Kashmiris, the Delhi High Court refused to allow Red Fort blast co-accused Jasir Bilal Wani to meet with his lawyer at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that Wani had failed to show any order passed by the trial court rejecting his prayer to meet his lawyer at the NIA headquarters in Delhi. The court said that Wani is “not a special person” and that a certain process has to be followed in the court.
Wani, a resident of Qazigund in south Kashmir, was arrested by the NIA on November 17 for allegedly assisting Dr Umar Nabi in the November 10 Red Fort car blast. A trial court remanded him to 10 days of NIA custody on November 18.
During the high court hearing, Wani’s counsel stated that an attempt to meet him at the NIA office was denied and the trial court had orally refused to issue an order permitting the legal meeting. The NIA argued that the accused had not exhausted all available remedies before approaching the high court, leading the court to dismiss the plea.
