Drama in court: Shabbir told to say ‘Bharat Mata’

Dramatic scenes played out in a Delhi court when an Enforcement Directorate (ED) counsel asked separatist leader Shabbir Shah to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ while seeking the extension of the Hurriyat leader’s custody.

Special ED counsel Rajiv Awasthy argued that Shah was receiving funds from Pakistan to derail Kashmir’s peace process. He said that the 64-year-old leader was “ruining the country”, a remark objected to by Shah’s advocate MS Khan, who said that this is against the Constitution.

Awasthy promptly replied, “If he follows the Constitution, then let him say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’,” catching the litigants, media and court staff by surprise.

The comment did not go well with Additional Sessions Judge Siddharth Sharma, who said that the courtroom was not a TV studio, and sought that the decorum of the court be maintained.

The court sent the Hurriyat leader to six days in custody after the ED said that it needs the remand to ascertain the proceeds received in bank accounts.

The officers of the probe agency reiterated their claim that Shabbir is in continuous contact with anti-national elements in Pakistan. They also claimed that the accused has received calls from international contacts of Pakistan, Dubai and England and their role has …read more