After the transfer order, 11 NIA cases were transferred back to the DSJ’s court. (Express photo: Ravi Kanojia/File)
Four months after a Delhi court was given additional powers to hear cases under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, a Delhi High Court administrative order has transferred all such cases back to the special NIA court presided over by District and Sessions Judge (DSJ) Poonam A Bamba.
The additional charge was given to the court of Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sehrawat on January 12 this year.
The latest order, dated May 23, signed by Registrar General of the High Court, stated: “Acting Chief Justice and Judges of this court have been pleased to order that all cases under the National Investigation Act, 2008 pending in the court of Additional Judge to NIA Special Court (ASJ-3) presided by Tarun Sehrawat be transferred to the NIA Special Court, presided over by Ms Poonam A Bamba, DSJ, New Delhi with immediate effect.”
After the transfer order, 11 NIA cases were transferred back to the DSJ’s court. One of the recent ones was the terror funding case involving Altaf Ahmad Shah, alias Altaf Fantosh, son-in-law of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali and photojournalist Kamran Yusuf along with nine other accused.
ASJ Sehrawat had reserved the order on the bail application of Watali in the terror funding case after 10 hearings for May 26. A similar situation occurred when the bail application of photojournalist Yusuf was marked for disposal on January 12 by DSJ Poonam Bamba and the case was transferred the same day.