NIA claims accused linked with terror funding: Court orders release of nine held with junked notes

According to court records, Special NIA Public Prosecutor Sidharth Luthra submitted that the offence of the accumulation and possession of specified bank currency notes in the instant case “does not fall under the UA(P) Act or any scheduled offence” mentioned in the NIA Act. The court then ordered to release all nine accused “if not required in any other case.”

Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sehrawat ordered release of Delhi residents Pradeep Chauhan, Delhi Police head constable Bhagwan Singh and Vinod Shreedhar Shetty, Deepak Toprani of Mumbai, Ejajul Hassan of Amroha, Jaswinder Singh of Nagpur, and Kashmir residents Umar Mushtaq Dar, Shahnawaz Mir and Majid Yousuf Sofi.

A senior NIA officer said.”We had information that this money was connected to Kashmir terror funding case. However, after probing the case we have found that this money is not connected to terror funding.”

Sources said the input had come to NIA through surveillance of Kashmiri separatist Nayeem Khan who was heard saying that demonetised currency could be exchanged even after government windows for exchange had been shut. Khan has already been chargesheeted in the terror funding case.

Sources said it would now be up to the court to decide which agency would probe the case further even though the NIA had shared details of the case with Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate. If prosecuted under Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017, the accused could face fine of over Rs 150 crore.