J&K activist, journalist all set to walk out on bail as Delhi HC refuses to stay their release in UAPA case

Khurram Parvez has been in jail for nearly 5 years and Irfan Mehraj for over 3 years in a 2020 case

3 min readNew DelhiJul 22, 2026 01:37 AM IST

Khurram Parvez

THE DELHI High Court on Tuesday paved the way for release on bail for Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez and freelance journalist Irfan Mehraj by refusing to stay a trial court’s order granting them relief in a 2020 case registered by the NIA under the stringent anti-terror law — Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The counsel for the NIA sought a stay on the trial court’s bail order, passed on July 18, on the grounds that the case pertained to serious offences and their release “could seriously jeopardise national security”. The HC, while refusing to stay the grant of bail, imposed additional bail conditions: both Parvez and Mehraj will report to NIA headquarters in New Delhi twice a week, won’t indulge in “any activity similar to the activities on the basis of which” cases were lodged against them and not “associate with or participate in the activities of any group or organisation linked to the subject matter of the offence”. The court has further restrained the two from circulating any post, handbills, posters, banners in any form whatsoever.

The HC, while making a preliminary observation that the trial court ought to have discussed the evidence while granting bail, noted that since the trial court has ordered their release subject to various conditions, it is not inclined to stay the grant of bail.

Parvez has been in jail for the past four years and eight months and Mehraj for three years and four months.

Last month, the Delhi HC had granted bail to Parvez in another NIA case from 2021 under UAPA. As part of his bail conditions, the HC had directed him not to leave NCT of Delhi without court permission, and that he “shall not upload/share/disseminate or circulate any anti-national material on any social media platform or otherwise”.

The NIA had arrested Parvez in November 2021 for offences of allegedly waging a war against the State, criminal conspiracy, and for allegedly raising funds for terror activities. He was formally arrested in the 2020 UAPA case in March 2023 while in custody. In the 2020 case, NGOs were accused of terror funding by allegedly diverting funds meant for charitable activities to “secessionist and separatist activities” in J&K. While Parvez was not named in the initial 2020 FIR, he was subsequently arrested in the case.

Parvez was the coordinator of the J&K Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a union of civil society organisations, involved in investigating human rights violations in the Union Territory, as well as advocating for the rights of victims of enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, torture, extra-judicial executions, among other issues. Mehraj, a close associate of Parvez, also worked at JKCCS as a researcher. He was arrested in March 2023.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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