A Special Court on Monday allowed the National Investigating Agency’s plea seeking its permission to conduct polygraph test on suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Showkat Ahmed Bhat, arrested in connection with Udhampur terror attack case.
Bhat was produced before District Judge Amar Nath during an in-camera proceeding where the National Investigating Agency (NIA) said that a polygraph test of the accused was required to be conducted to unearth larger conspiracy of the banned teror group.
While allowing NIA’s plea, the court said that Bhat’s polygraph test will be conducted at Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) at Lodhi Road here on Tuesday.
The investigating agency, in its plea, contended that Bhat was giving inconsistent statements during his interrogation which is hampering the probe in the case.
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“Accused Showkat Ahmed Bhat presently in police custody of NIA at Delhi and his statement is having no consistency on various occasions/points which is hampering the leads in the investigation of the instant case.
“The polygraph test of the above accused is required to be conducted to get concrete leads regarding larger conspiracy in the interest of the case,” the NIA said.
It further said that Bhat is showing his consent to undergo the test and necessary orders may be passed for conducting the test by an expert at CFSL at Lodhi Road here.
“It is therefore prayed before this court that necessary order may be passed to the prosecuting agency (NIA) for conducting the polygraph test of accused Showkat Ahmed Bhat by an expert at CFSL/CBI, CGO Complex Lodhi Road, New Delhi on September 8 for the purpose of investigation during his police custody,” the agency said.
It also sought direction to the Director of CFSL for conducting the polygraph test on Bhat.
The NIA also said that during custodial >interrogation of arrested accused Mohammad Naveed , a Pakistani national, certain facts have come to light regarding the larger conspiracy behind the Udhampur terror attack which includes the entire network of conspirators, supporters, financers, facilitators and handlers of Naveed.
It said that Bhat had facilitated Naveed and three other LeT operatives “by transporting them from near the Indo-Pak border till the place of their hideout in district Pulwama (Jammu and Kashmir).”
