Plea filed before Delhi HC against extension of probe deadline against PFI members in UAPA case

New Delhi: Arrested PFI members on Monday approached the Delhi High Court against the extension of duration granted to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to conclude its investigation in the case registered against the banned organisation under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The counsel for the petitioners Mohammad Yousuf and others assailed a December 19 trial court order which extended the probe deadline by 60 days, contending the additional time was given without giving “notice of the prosecutor’s report” to them, which was filed in a sealed cover.

A bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh listed the case for further hearing on January 25 while noting that the high court has already rejected objections with respect to the non-supply of the prosecutor’s report- which details the progress of investigation - to the accused in another case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The court observed that when a judgement of a coordinate bench is relevant to the issue before it, a party cannot “skirt around” it and has to bring it to its notice.

The counsel for NIA said that as per the earlier decision of the high court, the prosecutor’s report cannot be given to an accused in a UAPA case and, in the present case, the accused persons were heard by the trial court.