Court Refuses To Release Passport Of Para’s Brother-In-Law

SRINAGAR: Special Judge Designated Under NIA Act Srinagar has rejected an application seeking release of various articles seized from brother-inlaw of Waheed-UrRehman Para, a PDP leader, in connection with a case registered against later.

CIK had on December 30, 2020 seized Mobile Phone—Redmi Note 8 and Passport of Para’s brother-in-law, Abdal Ahmad Bhat of Murran Pulwama in connection with case (FIR NO. 31/2020).

“The bare perusal of the police report and case file transpires that the articles in question have been seized by the police in the above said FIR and the investigation of the case as per the police report has partially been completed and the seized property is further required for the purpose of investigation by the Investigating Agency,” Sandeep Gandotra, the presiding officer of the court, said. “Since the formal request through MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties) has already been initiated with the foreign country (USA) through the Ministry of Home Affairs Govt. of India with the respect to the extraction of evidence from the seized articles in the above titled case and it is further required by the Investigating as such, this court cannot release the article(s)/document(s) in question at this stage, even temporarily on the Superdnama of the petitioners,” the court said and rejected Bhat’s application.

In its report, police stated that “some political functionaries misused their membership, position and affiliation with the political parties and have as a part of criminal conspiracy, established clandestine connection and relations with different Pakistani supported (militant) and secessionist organizations operating in J&K for a populace, countering the influence of rival political parties and their members, protecting their own financial and business interests and with medium term motives of winning the trust of the Pakistani establishment, dealing with subversion in Kashmir including those in the United Jihad Council.”

Police further said that during the course of investigation search of the houses of suspects including one Mst. Soozi Jan Wife of Abdaal Ahmad and the articles and documents were seized from her house and not Bhat’s residence.

Earlier Bhat had contended that he has neither arrayed as accused nor arrested in the FIR and that he is not involved in any of the offences in the case. He said the charge sheet of the case has already been produced before the court and that he has also not been arrayed as witness in the case. The mobile and documents seized by the police are not directly or indirectly connected with the facts and evidence of the case, he had said.