Page 5 - National Investigation Agency Nia

'Bail is rule, jail exception' for offences even under special statutes: SC

The legal principle 'Bail is rule, jail is an exception' is applicable to offences even under special statutes like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled while granting bail to a man accused under the stringent anti-terror law. A bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said if courts start denying bail in deserving cases, it will be a violation of fundamental rights. "Allegations of the prosecution may be very serious, but it is court's duty to consider the case for bail in accordance with law. Bail is the rule and jail is the exception applies even to special statutes. If courts start denying bail in deserving cases, it will be a violation of rights guaranteed under Article 21," the bench said while pronouncing its judgement. The verdict came while releasing a man named Jalaluddin Khan on bail. Khan was booked under the stringent provisions of the UAPA and other sections of now defunct Indian Penal Code for renting out upper .

Elgar Parishad case: SC denies interim bail to jailed activist Jyoti Jagtap

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant interim bail to activist Jyoti Jagtap, who is in jail in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. A bench comprising justices MM Sundresh and Aravind Kumar also adjourned the hearing on the main bail plea of the activist. "We are not inclined to give interim bail", Justice Subdresh said. Jagtap has moved the apex court challenging the October 17, 2022 order of the high court that refused to grant her bail, saying the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) case against her was "prima facie true" and that she was part of a "larger conspiracy" hatched by the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit. The high court had said Jagtap was an active member of the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) group, which during its stage play at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 gave not only "aggressive, but highly provocative slogans". The 2017 Elgar Parishad conclave was held at Shaniwarwada, an 18th-century palace-fort located in the hear

HC judge recuses himself from plea seeking death penalty for Yasin Malik

Delhi High Court judge Amit Sharma on Thursday recused himself from hearing a plea by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seeking death penalty for separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case. The matter was listed before a division bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh after a change in the roster of judges dealing with such cases. "List before another bench, of which Justice Sharma is not a member, on August 9," Justice Singh said. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief, who is currently serving a life term in the case, was virtually present for the the court proceedings from the Tihar jail here. The court directed that he will appear virtually on the next date as well. On May 29 last year, the high court had issued a notice to Malik on the NIA's plea seeking death penalty for him in the terror funding case and had sought his presence before it on the next date. Subsequently, jail authorities had filed an application seeking permission for his virtual ..

NIA agrees to let Engineer Rashid take oath as MP, court order on July 2

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday gave its consent for jailed Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, known as Engineer Rashid, to take oath as MP on July 25. Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh will pass an order on the plea on Tuesday. Rashid, the MP from Baramulla who has been arrested in a 2017 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case, had moved the court seeking interim bail, or custody parole in the alternative, to take oath and perform his parliamentary functions. A special court here on June 22 had adjourned the matter and asked the NIA to file its response. On Monday, the NIA's counsel said Rashid's oath taking be subject to some conditions like not speaking to the media. He also said Rashid must complete everything within a day. Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after he was charged by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged involvement in a terror funding case. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail.

NIA arrests key operative linked with Canada-based Khalistani terrorist

A key operative linked with a Canada-based Khalistani terrorist was on Thursday arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) during its multi-state searches. The accused, identified as Jaspreet Singh, was held from Ferozepur district in Punjab, the NIA said in a statement. The probe agency seized one 32 bore revolver, 69 cartridges of various bores, 100 gm heroin, 100 gm opium, Rs 2,20,500 cash and various digital devices from Jaspreet, who was found to be associated with foreign based terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa, it said. "Cracking down on proscribed terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), the NIA on Thursday conducted multi-state searches and arrested a key operative linked with designated terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa," the statement said. Premises connected with 10 suspects were searched on Thursday by the NIA teams across Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab, leading to the arrest of Jaspreet, it added. NIA had registered a case on Ju

NIA to investigate Reasi bus terror attack, to probe larger conspiracy

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has assumed control of the investigation into the Reasi bus attack and filed its own FIR on Sunday

Reasi terror attack on bus: Home Ministry hands over probe to NIA

The Union Home Ministry on Monday handed over the probe into the recent terror attack on a bus in Jammu and Kashmir to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), officials said. Nine people, including three women were killed, and 41 injured as a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi plunged into a deep gorge after an ambush by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on June 9. The terrorists opened fire at the 53-seater bus when it was en route from Shiv Khori temple to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra. The investigation into the June 9 terror attack on a bus in Jammu and Kashmir has been handed over to the NIA, an official said. The decision came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and preparations for the annual Amarnath yatra in two back-to-back meetings here. The meetings were called in the wake of the terror attack on the bus in Reasi district and a few other terror incidents in the Uni

NIA searches multiple sites in Punjab linked to aides of Goldy Brar

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches at various locations linked to the associates of Canada-based terrorist Goldy Brar in Punjab as part of its probe in an "extortion and firing case". The anti-terror agency also sought people's help for information about Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar and his gang, according to an official statement. A total of nine locations associated with Brar and his aides were searched by the NIA teams in connection with an extortion and firing case registered in Chandigarh, it said. The searches come a day after the NIA filed a charge sheet against Brar and 11 others for their alleged involvement in the killing of Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi last year in Jaipur. The NIA has also released telephone numbers, where people can share information about the terrorist and his associates or details of any threat calls they might have received from the gang. The information can be shared on landline number 0172-26829

Karni Sena chief murder case: NIA chargesheets Goldy Brar, 11 others

The NIA on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar and 11 others for their alleged involvement in the killing of Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi last year, according to an official statement. Brar has been designated a terrorist by the government under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He has been involved in the smuggling of high-grade arms, ammunition and explosive materials through drones from across the border, supplying them for carrying out killings and also providing sharpshooters. According to the statement, NIA investigations have revealed the involvement of the notorious terrorist-gangster syndicate behind the killing of Gogamedi, who was shot dead in the living room of his house in Shyam Nagar colony in Jaipur in December 2023. Two others -- Naveen Shekhawat and Ajeet Singh -- were killed while Gogamedi's gunman Narender Singh was injured in the attack. Moving swiftly with its investigations in the ca

NIA chargesheets 17 hardcore ISIS operatives involved in radicalisation

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday chargesheeted 17 hardcore agents of the proscribed global terrorist organisation ISIS for being part of a conspiracy involving radicalisation of youth and fabrication of improvised explosive devices, according to an official statement. The NIA had originally chargesheeted three persons in March 2023 and filed its supplementary chargesheet before the special court at Patiala House in New Delhi on Monday against 17 others, of whom 15 are from Maharashtra and one each from Uttarakhand and Haryana, it said. This takes the total number of accused chargesheeted in the case, which had exposed global linkages with foreign handlers, to 20, said the statement issued by the federal probe agency. The accused, chargesheeted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act, "were found to have been engaged in a massive ISIS conspiracy involving recruitment, training and ..

Key accused in trafficking of Bangladeshis, Rohingyas into India arrested

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested a wanted accused involved in trafficking of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas into India through the north-eastern borders. Jalil Miah, a resident of the north-eastern state of Tripura, has been arrested by the NIA team, an official statement said. The NIA had in February declared a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Jalil, who was absconding in the case, in addition to nine others. As per the NIA investigations, a large number of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas are being trafficked to India every month through the porous stretches of the Indo-Bangladesh border. They are further transported to different parts of the country and provided fake documents and forced into labour, said the statement issued by the probe agency. "In yet another success in its fight against human traffickers operating across the country, the NIA on Tuesday arrested a key conspirator in a case relating to ...

NIA conducts multi-state raids, arrests 5 men for human trafficking

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted multi-state raids and arrested five persons allegedly involved in international human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicate. The accused were luring Indian youths to foreign countries on false promises of employment, an official statement said. The youths were being forced to work in fake call centres at Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Laos and Cambodia, among other places, as part of the racket, controlled and operated mainly by foreign nationals, it said. They were coerced into undertaking illegal activities online, such as credit card fraud, investments in cryptocurrency using fake applications, honey trapping, etc., the probe agency said. Manish Hingu of Vadodara, Pahlad Singh of Gopalganj, Nabialam Ray of southwest Delhi, Balwant Kataria of Gurugram and Sartaj Singh of Chandigarh were arrested following a crackdown at 15 locations in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and .

NIA arrests key accused in attack on Indian High Commission in London

In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a key accused in a case related to the attack on the Indian High Commission in London in March last year. Inderpal Singh Gaba, a resident of Hounslow in the UK, has been arrested for carrying out unlawful activities during protests that took place on March 22, 2023, in London, a statement issued by the agency said. NIA investigations in the case so far have revealed that the incidents in London on March 19 and 22 last year were part of a larger conspiracy to unleash vicious attacks on the Indian missions and its officials. The attacks in London in March 2023 were found to be in retaliation to the action taken by the Punjab Police against pro-Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh on March 18, 2023, it added. Further investigations in the case are continuing, the statement said.

NIA along with security forces raids nine places in J&K in terror case

The search operation was conducted almost a month after the NIA chargesheeted two accused in the Kokernag (Jammu and Kashmir) encounter case

NIA detains two suspects from Kolkata in Rameshwaram Cafe blast case

Both the suspects in the Bengaluru cafe blast case were detained from their hideout near Kolkata

NIA calls back officer to Delhi after Trinamool alleges meeting with BJP

West Bengal's ruling party says BJP leader met with NIA officer Dhan Ram Singh at his home on March 26 and had an envelope of cash with him

NIA moves Cal HC for quashing of FIR against officials in Bhupatinagar case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday moved the Calcutta High Court, seeking the quashing of an FIR against its officials who went to West Bengal's Bhupatinagar for a raid in connection with the agency's probe into a blast case. Justice Jay Sengupta granted permission to file the application and move his court in the post-recess session of the day, NIA counsel Arun Kumar Mohanty said. The petition also seeks interim protection from any coercive action by the state police against the NIA officials. One of the officials was injured in an attack by a mob when they were returning from Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore district on Saturday, after arresting two persons in connection with its investigation into a blast there in December, 2022 in which three persons died. While an FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint by the NIA officials at Bhupatinagar, a case was initiated against the central agency officials on a complaint by some villagers, accusing them of theft and ..

Arrested TMC leader's wife lodges FIR against NIA officers alleging assault

Wife of arrested TMC leader Monobrata Jana has filed an FIR against NIA officials alleging that they tried to outrage her modesty after forcibly entering her residence in Bhupatinagar in the pretext of conducting a probe, a police officer said on Sunday. The National Investigation Agency on Saturday arrested two key conspirators - Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana - in a 2022 blast case in West Bengal's Purba Medinpur district in which three persons were killed. Jana's wife Moni Jana lodged her complaint with Bhupatinagar police station alleging that NIA officers also vandalised properties in her residence during their raid on Saturday morning, he said. "We have registered an FIR after receiving a complaint from a woman alleging assault by NIA officers. We are looking into the complaint," the police officer told PTI. IPC Section 354 (for assaulting any woman, with an intention to outrage her modesty) was attached to the complaint, the police officer added. A team of the NIA wa

Attack on NIA team: Situation 'very serious', says Bengal Guv Bose

Describing the attack on NIA officers as a "very serious issue", West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday said the matter should be treated with the "all seriousness that it deserves". He also said such an "attempt to bully the investigating agencies does not bring credit to anyone down the line" and the matter has to be dealt with an iron hand. "This is a very serious situation which has to be dealt with all the seriousness that it deserves. This kind of 'goondaism' should not be allowed. Muscle power should not replace legal power. This has to be dealt with an iron hand," Bose told PTI at the Raj Bhavan. A vehicle carrying NIA officials was on Saturday attacked by villagers in Purba Medinipur district's Bhupatinagar when they went there to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case.

NIA officials attacked villagers, not other way round, says CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday blamed NIA officials of attacking villagers at Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore district and not the other way round. She claimed that the probe agency team had gone to the houses of villagers in the early hours over an incident of "bursting of crackers in 2022". "The attack was not carried out by women of Bhupatinagar, it was by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)," she said at an election rally in South Dinajpur district's Balurghat. "Will the women sit back if they are attacked?" she said, adding that they had only protested after NIA officials went to some of their houses over the December 2022 incident. A vehicle carrying NIA officials was on Saturday attacked by villagers in Bhupatinagar, where they had gone to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case in which three persons were killed, police said. The investigation was later handed over to the NIA. The probe team arrested two persons in connection with the case and when th