India’s infamous NIA court rejects Shabir Shah’s bail pleas
Extends custody in 1996 false Srinagar violence case
Jammu: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Special Judge of infamous Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) Cases, Jammu, Prem Sagar, rejected the bail pleas of All Parties Hurriyat Conference senior leader Shabbir Ahmad Shah in the 1996 false Srinagar violence case and extended his judicial custody till July 14.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, presently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail, Jammu, had moved two applications before the court — one seeking regular bail and another seeking statutory/default bail.
The case has been registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Sections 7 and 27 of the Arms Act.
Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Khan appeared for Shabbir Shah and argued for bail, while Public Prosecutors Ashwani Verma and Chandan Kumar Singh represented the NIA. The NIA, through CIO Dy SP Ankit Rohilla, strongly opposed the plea, submitting that the investigation was still in progress and material was being collected.
Rejecting the regular bail plea, the court observed that the investigation was actively going on and only a few days were left for filing the charge-sheet within the statutory period.
Holding the plea to be premature, the court dismissed the application.
The court also dismissed Shabbir Shah’s statutory bail application. He had pleaded that the charge-sheet was not filed within the prescribed period and that he had acquired an indefeasible right to default bail. However, the court held that since the offence falls under UAPA, the prosecution has 90 days, extendable up to 180 days, to file the charge-sheet, and the said period had not expired. The court termed the application premature and without merit.
Shabbir Shah was produced through video conferencing from jail. After perusing the case diary and hearing the prosecution, the court remanded him to judicial custody for 13 days till July 14, with a directive to lodge him in Kot Bhalwal Jail, Jammu.
