The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to Alemla Jamir, a self-styled “cabinet minister” of the Naga insurgent outfit NSCN-IM, in a case related to alleged terror funding.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma said it was not inclined to release her at this stage since the trial is ongoing. “The allegations are very serious, shocks our conscience,” the bench observed.
The court directed the trial court to make use of video conferencing facilities to expedite proceedings. It asked Jamir to cooperate with the investigation and listed the matter for hearing in the second week of January.
Jamir’s bail plea had earlier been rejected by the Delhi High Court on January 13. The High Court held that her appeal against the trial court’s order dismissing bail lacked merit, noting the seriousness of the allegations, the evidence collected, and the fact that her husband was absconding.
The High Court observed that the trial judge was trying to conclude the proceedings quickly and the prosecution was also making efforts to expedite the trial. “Justice hurried is justice buried. We also cannot lose sight of the element that quality of evidence that is to be adduced before the trial cannot be compromised,” the bench had said.
It also noted that Jamir was a flight risk and held a senior position within the NSCN(IM), giving her the capacity to influence witnesses and tamper with evidence. “Accordingly, the present appeal is dismissed,” the High Court had ordered.
Jamir was intercepted at Delhi Airport on December 17, 2019, before boarding a flight to Dimapur, allegedly carrying about ₹72 lakh in cash. She was unable to explain the source of the money, prompting an NIA investigation.
The prosecution opposed her bail, alleging that Jamir and her co-accused had built a “sophisticated network” through armed cadres of the “Naga Army” to extort money for terror activities.
According to the NIA’s findings cited in the High Court’s order, NSCN(IM) operates as a terrorist organisation with advanced weaponry and runs a “parallel government.” Jamir allegedly played a key role in raising funds through extortion from businessmen in Dimapur, creating a “systematic mechanism” for collecting money to fund the group’s operations.
She had opened as many as 20 bank accounts, some under fictitious names, to conceal the transactions. The court recorded that Jamir and others acted “in a surreptitious manner trying to leave behind no trail of evidence” while raising funds for NSCN(IM)’s activities.
The Supreme Court has now directed the trial court to proceed expeditiously using virtual hearings. Jamir’s bail plea was dismissed, and the matter will be taken up again in the second week of January.
