Jammu And Kashmir HC Quashes Terror Conspiracy Charges, Grants Bail To Journalist Fahad Shah

The High Court of Jammu And Kashmir and Ladakh granted bail to the editor of Kashmir Walla, Fahad Shah, who was arrested in February 2022 on the charges of terror conspiracy allegedly for his reporting of an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. 

The case was heard on Friday by a Jammu wing of the high court comprising justices Sreedharan and M L Manhas who quashed the charges like terror conspiracy (Section 18) and waging war against the country (Section 121) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration (Section 153-B) of the Indian Penal Code against the editor, Senior Advocate PN Raina said.

He also stated Shah will still face trial under Section 13 (abetting unlawful activities) of the UA(P)A and will also undergo trial for allegedly receiving foreign funds illegally for his news portal, reported news agency PTI.

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PN Raina, who represented Shah before the high court said that they are following the procedures set in the bail and it will take some more time to get him out of jail. 

Earlier in April, the high court had quashed Shah's detention under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA), which allows preventive detention of an individual to prevent them from acting harmfully against “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order’’ in Jammu and Kashmir.