Delhi HC rejects Shabir Shah’s bail plea in J&K terror funding case

Srinagar: The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed the bail plea of Kashmiri separatist leader, Shabir Ahmad Shah, in a terror funding case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

A division bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur pronounced the verdict, affirming the trial court’s decision of July 7, 2023, which had denied bail to Shah.

“The present appeal is dismissed,” the bench stated briefly, adding that a detailed order will be issued later.

Shabir Shah, currently in judicial custody, had moved the high court in August 2023, challenging the trial court’s refusal to grant him bail. His counsel had argued that the case lacked substantial material evidence and that the charges were politically motivated.

However, the NIA had strongly opposed the bail plea, maintaining that the accusations against Shah were serious in nature and part of a larger conspiracy involving funding of militant activities.

Shabir Shah was arrested and moved to Delhi’s Tihar Jail by the NIA in June 2019 in a terror funding case being investigated by the agency.

Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan and others, have been booked by the NIA in different cases, including terror funding, waging war against the state and stoking sentiments among youth to resort to violence. It was after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, that the separatist leaders were prevented from propagating secession and violence publicly through speeches and through hostile press statements.

Kashmiri separatist leaders supported armed insurgency and even glorified terrorists killed in encounters with the security forces.

Pro-India and nationalist elements, and also those working for the security forces, would be threatened by the terrorists, and the separatist leaders always glorified the actions of terrorists against the J&K Police and the security forces.

These separatist leaders would attend the funerals of terrorists and stoke the youth to join the terrorist ranks to carry forward the so-called ‘Jehad’ (Holy War).

IANS