Majeed seeks bail citing NIA delay in filing chargesheet

Areeb Majeed (Express photo)

The Kalyan youth-turned- ISIS jihadist Areeb Majeed sought bail from a special sessions court on Wednesday on the grounds that the NIA has not yet filed the chargesheet in the case.

On February 26, a special POTA court had granted the NIA an extension of 30 days to file the chargesheet, after the agency claimed that the case was still under investigation.

A day before that, the investigating officer moved an application before special judge P R Deshmukh stating that the investigation in the matter was not complete and under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) sought more time to complete the investigation.

As grounds to be released on bail, Areeb’s bail application claimed that the extension was not permissible and that a POTA court could not pass orders in an NIA case.

According to the prosecution, as per the provisions of the law, the agency has to file the chargesheet in 90 days, which can be extended with the permission of the court up to 180 days.

Areeb was a student in a Panvel college before he decided to join the extremist outfit along with three other friends in May last year. They travelled on a “ziarat visa” used by pilgrims.

On November 28, he was flown from Istanbul under NIA escort back to India.

The NIA earlier told the court that the four youths were with other pilgrims for eight days and had then parted ways to actively participate in unlawful activities in Iraq and Syria.

Areeb (24) was booked under Sections 16, 18 and 20 of UAPA for conspiring to commit a terrorist act and being a member of a banned foreign terror outfit.

Areeb was also booked under the stringent Section 125 of IPC for waging war against the nation.

His three accomplices, Saheem Tanki, Fahad Sheikh and Aman Tandel are arraigned as wanted accused in the case.

An engineering student, Areeb is currently lodged in a high security cell at Arthur Road prison.

Source:: Indian Express