New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday sought the response of the National Investigation Agency to a plea by an alleged member of the banned Indian Mujahideen seeking a day-to-day hearing in a terror case pending against him before a special court here. A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Krishna Bansal issued notice and asked the NIA to file its reply within four weeks on the petition which said the accused has been in custody for nine years and the trial in the case has got delayed.
The high court listed the matter for further hearing in March end while making it clear that the issuance of notice will not come in the way of the trial court passing an order on framing of charges in the criminal case. In his petition filed through lawyer Kartik Murukutla, Manzar Imam has sought a direction to ensure the designated NIA courts deal exclusively with the cases being probed by the anti-terror investigation agency.
He claimed the accused in NIA cases were languishing for years on end in violation of their fundamental right to a speedy trial under Article 21 of the Constitution. The petitioner's counsel said the arguments on framing of charges are going on before the trial court and that there is no material in the charge sheet filed in the case to connect him with the alleged offences.
The counsel for NIA said the matter has already been expedited by the trial court which is hearing the arguments on framing of charges on almost a daily basis. The petitioner has said he has been in custody for nine years and there was a delay in the start of the trial as there were only two designated NIA courts which were also hearing non-NIA cases including bail matters, and other IPC and MCOCA offences.
Imam was arrested in August 2013 pursuant to an NIA case alleging Indian Mujahideen activists, in association with IM sleeper cells based in the country and others, were conspiring to commit terrorist acts and preparing to target various important places of India. The FIR was registered under the provisions of the anti-terror law UAPA and the Indian Penal Code. (PTI)
