Srinagar
The court has granted bail to the second accused, Javed Ahmad Bhat 24, a resident of south Kashmir’s Qaimoh village in Kulgam district in the alleged terror funding case.
Bhat 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.
The Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sherawat granted bail to Bhat, but a detailed order is yet to come.
The Indian Express reported, “Statements of three protected witnesses (public servants) under 161 CrPC has revealed that the applicant was present and an active participant 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 organization nor participated in stone-pelting and that there is no material evidence available to this effect,” submitted Khan in his bail plea.
The court had earlier granted bail to photojournalist Kamran Yousuf, one of the accused in the case.
Bhat and Yousuf of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir were arrested on September 5 last year while Watali was arrested on August 17.
