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A Delhi court today decided to put close aide of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and three others on trial for allegedly running a hawala racket to fund banned terrorist outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in Kashmir valley.
District Judge H S Sharma decided to put the four on trial, ordering formal framing of charges against them on March 3 under various provisions of anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The court gave green signal for framing of charges against Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, said to be Geelani's right-hand man, and three others - Mohd Sidiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga, who are presently lodged in Tihar Jail.
The court decided to frame charges against the four, while also dismissing Bhat's bail plea.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had last year filed charge sheet against the four, indicting them for procuring over Rs 4.57 crore from Pakistan through hawala channels within three years after 2008 for funding terrorist activities in the valley.
The Special Cell of Delhi police, on January 22 last year, had arrested Srinagar-based lawyer Bhat, Ganai, Liloo and Dagga from Jammu and Kashmir on a tip-off that they were carrying hawala money, allegedly meant for terror outfits in the valley. It had also recovered Rs 21.20 lakh from them.
The case was later handed over to the NIA. During the probe, the NIA as well as the police had questioned Geelani, who had reportedly told the investigators that he was receiving funds from various sources but had no links with Bhat in hawala dealings.
The NIA, in its charge sheet, had said, "Funds through hawala channels were being sent to Jammu and Kashmir for funding terror and secessionist acts in the state and Pakistan-based Maqbool Pandit, a member of banned Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Aizaz Maqbool Bhat, at present living in Saudi Arabia, were the key accused behind it."
It had added "the investigation had revealed that huge consignments" of funds have been collected at various places in Delhi and one of the accused, Mohd Sidiq Ganai was in touch with ISI operatives Major Iqbal, an accused charge-sheeted for carrying out various terror strikes including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and Col Abdullah.
The NIA had analysed "intercepted call records" of various accused, based in Delhi and Pakistan.
It said Ganai, identified as an active member of People's League, a constituent of Hurriyat led by Geelani, had gone to Pakistan in 1998 through Wagah border on Indian travel document and returned via Nepal on a Pakistani passport.
Detailing their modus operandi, the NIA had said Ganai developed a close relationship with Delhi-based Raj Kumar and his brother-in-law Rajeev Nankani and motivated them to collect money on their behalf from hawala operatives here.
"Between November 2008 to October 2010, only Raj Kumar collected Rs 2.25 crore in various installments from hawala operators here," the charge sheet had said.
news.outlookindia.com | Court Orders Framing of Charges Against Geelani's Aide
District Judge H S Sharma decided to put the four on trial, ordering formal framing of charges against them on March 3 under various provisions of anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The court gave green signal for framing of charges against Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, said to be Geelani's right-hand man, and three others - Mohd Sidiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga, who are presently lodged in Tihar Jail.
The court decided to frame charges against the four, while also dismissing Bhat's bail plea.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had last year filed charge sheet against the four, indicting them for procuring over Rs 4.57 crore from Pakistan through hawala channels within three years after 2008 for funding terrorist activities in the valley.
The Special Cell of Delhi police, on January 22 last year, had arrested Srinagar-based lawyer Bhat, Ganai, Liloo and Dagga from Jammu and Kashmir on a tip-off that they were carrying hawala money, allegedly meant for terror outfits in the valley. It had also recovered Rs 21.20 lakh from them.
The case was later handed over to the NIA. During the probe, the NIA as well as the police had questioned Geelani, who had reportedly told the investigators that he was receiving funds from various sources but had no links with Bhat in hawala dealings.
The NIA, in its charge sheet, had said, "Funds through hawala channels were being sent to Jammu and Kashmir for funding terror and secessionist acts in the state and Pakistan-based Maqbool Pandit, a member of banned Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Aizaz Maqbool Bhat, at present living in Saudi Arabia, were the key accused behind it."
It had added "the investigation had revealed that huge consignments" of funds have been collected at various places in Delhi and one of the accused, Mohd Sidiq Ganai was in touch with ISI operatives Major Iqbal, an accused charge-sheeted for carrying out various terror strikes including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and Col Abdullah.
The NIA had analysed "intercepted call records" of various accused, based in Delhi and Pakistan.
It said Ganai, identified as an active member of People's League, a constituent of Hurriyat led by Geelani, had gone to Pakistan in 1998 through Wagah border on Indian travel document and returned via Nepal on a Pakistani passport.
Detailing their modus operandi, the NIA had said Ganai developed a close relationship with Delhi-based Raj Kumar and his brother-in-law Rajeev Nankani and motivated them to collect money on their behalf from hawala operatives here.
"Between November 2008 to October 2010, only Raj Kumar collected Rs 2.25 crore in various installments from hawala operators here," the charge sheet had said.
news.outlookindia.com | Court Orders Framing of Charges Against Geelani's Aide
