Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sherawat granted bail to Bhat, but a detailed order is yet to come.
A Delhi court has granted bail to the second accused, Javed Ahmed Bhat, in a terror-funding and stone-pelting case being investigated by the NIA. Bhat, a 24-year-old resident of Qaimoh in Kulgam, used to sell crockery. He was arrested by the NIA on September 5 for alleged involvement in “anti-national” and “stone pelting” activities. The NIA has alleged that his location was found to be near various encounters sites where stone-pelting activities were reported.
Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sherawat granted bail to Bhat, but a detailed order is yet to come. The NIA had said that Bhat was arrested after prima facie witness statements on record against him. “Statements of three protected witnesses (public servants) under 161 CrPC has revealed that the applicant was present and an active participation in the offence of stone-pelting on security forces,” the NIA had stated while filing the reply on Bhat’s bail plea.
Bhat’s counsel M S Khan had argued in court that he was “wrongly and falsely” implicated. “He has never indulged in anti-national activities at any point of time, neither was he associated with any organisation nor participated in stone-pelting and that there is no material evidence available to this effect,” submitted Khan in his bail plea.
The same court had earlier granted bail to photojournalist Kamran Yusuf. ASJ Tarun Sherawat, while granting bail to Yusuf, had said that the agency had not placed on record a “single photo/video” to show the accused was “indulging in stone pelting activities at any site”. The court had said that Yusuf was not found involved in any such offences/terrorist activities in the past.