The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Shabir Ahmad Shah, a prominent separatist leader from Jammu and Kashmir, who has been detained since June 4, 2019, in a terror funding case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order after hearing arguments from Shah’s counsel, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, and senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who appeared for the NIA.
The bench observed several anomalies in the trial proceedings and highlighted the prolonged incarceration of Shah, who has been in jail for nearly seven years. It noted that a detailed order with stringent bail conditions would follow.
On September 4, 2025, the Supreme Court had refused interim bail to Shah and issued notice to the NIA, seeking its response to his plea challenging the Delhi High Court order dated June 12, 2025, which denied him relief. The High Court had rejected bail, observing a possibility that Shah might resume unlawful activities.
However, the apex court took into account the significantly improved security situation, normalisation of life, and near absence of violent incidents in the Union Territory over the past few years.
The case stems from an NIA chargesheet filed in 2017 against 12 individuals, accusing them of conspiring to raise funds to disrupt peace through stone-pelting, damage to public property, and actions against the central government.
Shah was alleged to have played a “substantial role” in facilitating the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir by inciting the public to raise slogans in support of secession, paying tributes to slain terrorists by eulogising them as “martyrs”, receiving funds through hawala transactions, and raising money via cross-LoC trade.
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