The National Investigation Agency (NIA) should clarify whether it stood by the charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, levelled against the second-rung accused mentioned in the First Information Report of the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case.
The NIA special judge asked the Assistant Solicitor General (ASG) P. Vijayakumar to explain whether the investigation agency continued to subscribe to the charges of terror funding against the accused or it had other cases against the accused. The ASG submitted to the court that he shall reply to the specific questions raised by the court on Wednesday.
The court raised the questions to the NIA while considering the bail plea of Muhammad Shafi, P.T. Abdu, Muhammad Anwar, Hamjad Ali, Afsal, and Muhammad Shameem.
Arguments today
The ASG submitted that he could not go through the case diary and furnish the replies for the questions raised by the court on Monday as some of his associates in the office had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. He also offered to present his arguments regarding the case diary on Wednesday.
The court said it shall examine the case diary, which was submitted by the NIA on Tuesday, and return it to the investigating officer in the case to facilitate the ASG to study the documents.
Incidentally, the court had on Monday asked the NIA to substantiate the charges levelled against the second-run accused in the case, failing which it would be inclined to consider the bail application of the accused favourably.
The court also wanted the agency to delineate the first and second-line accused in the case.
Swapna seeks bail
Meanwhile, Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the case booked by the NIA, moved her bail application in the court. The court will consider the bail application on Monday.
Geo Paul, the counsel for the accused, requested to the court to issue directives to the NIA to file their counter arguments in the application by the time the court considered the case.
