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The Supreme Court today(October 30) dismissed the petition filed by the National Investigation Agency(NIA) challenging the bail granted by the Delhi High Court to Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez in a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) over alleged terror funding.

The bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice PB Varale refused to interfere with the High Court's order considering the long incarceration of the accused.

Additional Solicitor General Raja Thakare appeared for the NIA. Senior Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, appearing for the accused, submitted that he has a prosthetic leg and has undergone custody for nearly five years. He further told the bench that the framing of the charges has been deferred since the NIA, on August 19, sought time to file a supplementary chargesheet.

In July this year, a High Court bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja granted bail to Parvez, observing that the prolonged incarceration of nearly four-and-a-half years, the slow progress of trial and his right to personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution of India warranted his release on bail.

Parvez was arrested in the case on November 22, 2021 from Srinagar.  The NIA alleged that a network linked to the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) recruited Over Ground Workers (OGWs), gathered intelligence on security installations and facilitated terror funding.  

Appearances:

ASG Raja Thakare for NIA.
Sr Adv Tanveer Ahmed Mir, Adv Swati Khanna, Adv Mohd Yasin, Adv Raminder Kaur, Adv Irfan Ali, Adv Sidharth Kaushik for Khuram Parvez, Respondent/Caveator

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