KD NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, Dec 20: A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Budgam has issued a non-bailable warrant against Hizbul Mujahideen chief Mohammad Yousuf Shah, also known as Syed Salah-ud-din. The court has asked the Jammu and Kashmir Police to arrest him.
The order was passed by the Special Judge under the NIA Act while hearing a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 506 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), which was in force in Jammu and Kashmir before 2019.
The court said the investigation has found enough evidence to show Salah-ud-din’s involvement in serious offences. These include conspiracy, supporting terrorist activities, and actions that threaten the country’s sovereignty, covered under Sections 13, 18, 20, and 39 of the UAPA.
Observing that the accused has been avoiding arrest, the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. It also directed the police to arrest him in connection with the case.
The court noted that under Section 73 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a magistrate can issue such a warrant if a person accused of a serious offence is absconding.
Salah-ud-din crossed over to Pakistan in 1993 and has been operating from there since then. The Government of India declared him a terrorist in 2020. He is also the chief of the United Jihad Council, an umbrella group of several militant organisations.
In 2023, the NIA attached properties linked to Salah-ud-din and his two sons. Earlier, in 2021, his sons were dismissed from government service after being arrested in a terror funding case.
