In a 2020 UAPA case, the NIA asked for more time to finish the investigation, so a Delhi court gave the NIA more time to keep Khurram Parvez and Kashmiri writer Irfan Mehraj in judicial custody.
Mehraj and Parvez are charged in a case that was filed by the NIA in October 2020 and is called “NGO Terror Funding.”
On June 9, Principal District & Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg of Patiala House Court agreed to the NIA’s request to keep Mehraj and Parvez in judicial custody for longer and to continue their probe. The NIA asked for an increase of more than 90 days, up to 180 days, but the court only gave it 45 more days.
“After carefully thinking about what the lawyers for both sides had to say, the PP Report, and what other judges had said, this court is convinced that the accused people need to stay in judicial custody for a longer time. “The application is granted, and Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj’s time in jail is extended by 45 days, bringing their total time in jail to 135 days,” the court said.
Mehraj was taken into custody on March 20 in Srinagar. He was brought to Delhi after a local court let him stay there temporarily. Then, on March 22, he was brought before the Patiala House Courts. On the same day, NIA also arrested Parvez, who was already in jail for a different crime. Both of them were sent to NIA prison for 10 days.
When they turned themselves in on April 1, they were sent back to jail until April 28. This was later extended several times until June 17. Mehraj and Parvez have been in court arrest for 90 days, and the investigation will be over on June 18 and June 20, respectively.
NIA told the court that when Mehraj and Parvez were being questioned, comments were recorded that supposedly showed they knew people who were part of terrorist groups. The investigation agency also said that Parvez and Mehraj were “in touch” with more than 350 tele selectors in Pakistan and a number of people and groups in other countries through phone numbers, social apps, and emails.
The central office said that the review into this is still going on and will take time to finish. “The facts that have come up so far in the case need to be checked.
The NIA said, “There is a lot of data on the seized digital devices that are linked to the accused and other people with ties to JKCCS, and there are a lot of documents that need to be looked at carefully. Several people have yet to be questioned, and the investigation has spread to several states and has international implications.”
Both Mehraj and Parvez were against the NIA’s request to have their investigation and time in judicial prison extended. Mehraj had said that the application didn’t give any reason to extend the time of detention to up to 180 days.
He also said that the fact that the investigation is taking so long shows that the NIA is using fishing and wandering inquiries against him in order to put him in jail without any official charges.
