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Separatist leader Mirwaiz heads to Delhi, to appear before NIA in terror funding case

The decision to appear before the NIA was taken by Mirwaiz on Sunday following an executive meeting of the Hurriyat group.

SNS | New Delhi | April 8, 2019 10:36 am | Updated : April 9, 2019 2:20 pm

Separatist leader Mirwaiz heads to Delhi, to appear before NIA in terror funding case

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq addressing media. (Image: Twitter/ @MirwaizKashmir)

Senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq took an early flight to New Delhi to appear before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday in connection with a terror funding case, sources close to him said.

The NIA has served him three summons.

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The separatist leader had earlier cited security reasons for the inability to honour the first two summons and requested the NIA to question him in Srinagar.

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The third summon served on him has specified that the security concerns of the Mirwaiz would be taken care of by the NIA in Delhi.

The decision to appear before the NIA was taken by Mirwaiz on Sunday following an executive meeting of the Hurriyat group.

It was also decided that executive members of the Hurriyat, including Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone and Masroor Ansari would accompany the Mirwaiz to the national capital.

Mirwaiz has appealed people to remain calm and peaceful and not react adversely to his being summoned to Delhi.

A defiant Mirwaiz had been refusing to comply with the summons of the NIA in connection with investigations in terror funding case.

Mirwaiz has used the religious platform of Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid to challenge the NIA’s summons.

Addressing the congregation during Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid earlier in March, he had announced that he would not travel to Delhi for any investigation and the NIA should come to Srinagar if it wanted to question him.

The NIA had in February raided the residence of Mirwaiz and some other separatists and carried out searches. Thereafter, he was summoned to Delhi for further questioning. As the NIA searched their premises, supporters of separatists indulged in violence in the downtown areas.

The NIA had claimed to have recovered incriminating documents, including letterheads of various terrorist outfits during the raids. A high-end antenna and communication system was also recovered from a separatist’s house.

The NIA has already arrested nearly a dozen people, including seven separatists. The arrested persons include a son of Pakistan-based terror leader Syed Salahuddin and a top businessman of Kashmir. Two sons of Syed Ali Shah Geelani have also been questioned.

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The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.