Court Orders Release of Kashmiri Leader Shabir Ahmad Shah in Money Laundering Case
New Delhi, India – The Patiala House Court has ordered the release of Shabir Ahmad Shah, a Kashmiri separatist leader, in a money laundering case linked to terror funding. Shah has been in custody since July 26, 2017, and the court noted that the maximum sentence for his offence is seven years, which he has already exceeded.
Despite this release, Shah is expected to remain in judicial custody due to other ongoing cases by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Additional Sessions Judge Dheeraj Mor stated that Shah is facing trial under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and since he has been in custody for over seven years, he is entitled to be released in this case.
Shabir Shah’s lawyers, Prashant Prakash and Qausar Khan, highlighted that the judicial process has significant delays, as the charges against the co-accused have not been framed, and the trial has not progressed meaningfully since 2021.
Earlier, Shah’s wife, Dr. Bilquis Shah, was also named in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) supplementary chargesheet but was granted bail. The chargesheet accuses Shabir Ahmad Shah of devising a scheme to obtain illicit funds from outside India to cause unrest in Jammu and Kashmir. Shah was allegedly in contact with Hafeez Sayeed, a global terrorist, and Mohd. Shafi Shayar in Pakistan.
Shabir Ahmad Shah, who is the chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party, has denied the allegations, stating there is no evidence connecting him to the crime money and that the accusations are false and motivated.
Doubts Revealed
Court -: A court is a place where legal cases are heard and decided by a judge or judges.
Kashmiri Leader -: A Kashmiri leader is someone who is a political or social leader from the region of Kashmir in India.
Shabir Ahmad Shah -: Shabir Ahmad Shah is a political leader from Kashmir who has been involved in separatist activities, which means he wants Kashmir to be separate from India.
Money Laundering -: Money laundering is a way of hiding money that comes from illegal activities so it looks like it comes from legal sources.
Patiala House Court -: Patiala House Court is a court complex in New Delhi, India, where various legal cases are heard.
Judicial Custody -: Judicial custody means a person is kept in jail while their case is being heard in court.
Judicial Delays -: Judicial delays happen when there is a long wait for a court case to be heard and decided.
Co-accused -: Co-accused are other people who are also charged with the same crime in a legal case.
Framed -: In legal terms, framed means officially charging someone with a crime.
