NIA court issues non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed
What's the story
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The order was passed on July 8, two days after the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet naming Saeed in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack case. The 76-year-old Saeed is charged both personally and as head of LeT and its proxy front, The Resistance Front (TRF).
Legal charges
Saeed deliberately evading arrest: Court
The supplementary chargesheet has been filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The court order states that Saeed is deliberately evading arrest and that the NIA has sought an open-dated non-bailable warrant against him to facilitate further proceedings.
The NIA emphasized that "arrest and custodial interrogation of the accused (Saeed) are necessary for a fair, complete and effective investigation."
Attack details
Pahalgam terror attack
The Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22 last year, killing 26 people, mostly tourists.
The NIA court's order has been forwarded to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), NIA Jammu, for execution as per law.
Saeed is a globally designated terrorist by India and the United States and is also accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.