In a significant ruling on Wednesday, the Delhi High Court refused to grant bail to separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan, implicated in a terror-funding case involving ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hafiz Saeed, the accused mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur upheld a previous decision by a trial court, which on December 3, 2022, denied bail to Khan, stating substantial prima facie evidence that pointed to his involvement in terror funding and pro-ISIS rally activities. The case has been under scrutiny since Khan’s arrest on July 24, 2017, which placed him under judicial custody pending further investigation.
Khan, a member of the Hurriyat Conference, was charged in connection with a 2017 case registered under the stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has accused him and other separatist leaders of engaging in a criminal conspiracy intended to incite violence and create a charged atmosphere for propagating their separatist agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.
Further complicating the case is an over 12,000-page chargesheet filed by the NIA against several high-profile accused, including Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin. The charges include conspiring to wage war against the government and fostering unrest in the Kashmir Valley. In 2022, the trial court also ordered the framing of charges under various sections of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Saeed, Salahuddin, and other Kashmiri separatist leaders like Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, and Masarat Alam.
The NIA has detailed allegations that Saeed utilized the services of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, also a co-accused, to funnel funds to separatists and individuals engaged in stone-pelting and disruptive activities across the Valley.
