Court says 'prima facie' terror charges 'true at this stage'

Srinagar: The bail application of PDP leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, a close aide of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, has been rejected for the second time in five months by a special court which said "prima facie" terror charges levelled against the accused seem to be "true at this stage".

The 24-page bail order passed by the special NIA court here, however, rejected the contention of the prosecution that a fresh bail application should not have been entertained by the court as no fresh development has taken place since the last rejection in February.

While rejecting Parra's bail application, the special judge said the contention raised by the defence counsel "herein cannot be considered at this stage and the good grounds do not exist at this stage which would warrant the release of the accused herein on bail in view of the given facts and circumstances governing the matter in hand".

"... And at present I am satisfied in view of the material placed on the record that the alleged offences leveled against the accused/applicant (Parra) herein appears to be prima facie true at this stage," the order said.

The order rejecting the bail was given earlier this month but it was made available on Monday.

Parra's counsel ShariqReyaz had urged for cancellation of the FIR under which the PDP leader had been arrested and contended that the same case was being probed by the National Investigation Agency, therefore rendering the probe by police as "void ab-initio and non-est" (having no legal validity from the beginning) in law.

The counsel said the material relief by the police against Parra was the sum and substance of the NIA charge sheet filed in a Jammu court from where he has already been granted bail.