Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez
By Tehelka Web Desk
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez in a terror funding case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A vacation bench headed by Justice Navin Chawla passed the order, noting that Parvez has remained in custody for more than four years and that the trial is unlikely to conclude in the near future.
The court also took note of Parvez’s physical condition, observing that he lost a leg in a landmine explosion in 2004 and requires special care. While granting bail, the court directed him to surrender his passport and barred him from travelling outside Delhi without prior permission. It also directed him not to make any public statements related to the case.
Parvez serves as programme coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society and chairperson of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances. He was arrested by the NIA on November 22, 2021.
According to the NIA, Parvez and several others were involved in a conspiracy linked to the Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. The agency alleged that the accused operated a network of overground workers and facilitated activities aimed at supporting terrorism in India under the guise of human rights work.
The NIA, which registered the case in November 2021, alleged that Parvez, along with Munir Ahmed Kataria, Arshid Ahmed Tonch and Zafar Abbas, conspired to advance the activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba and establish a network to facilitate terrorist operations.
The agency further alleged that the accused collected information related to security force installations, deployments and movements and shared it with Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives. It also claimed that a government official from Himachal Pradesh misused his official position to provide documents to the network.
The case remains under trial.
