| Court cracks down on terror mastermind, issues non-bailable warrant against Syed Salahuddin | | |  Sandeep Bhat
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 20: In a major legal blow to Pakistan-based terror mastermind and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Mohammad Yousuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, a special court in Kashmir has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him in a long-pending terror case registered by Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2012.
The order was passed by Special Judge (NIA) Budgam, Yahaya Firdous, who observed that the investigation had yielded sufficient prima facie evidence directly linking the Hizbul supremo to grave offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
“After perusal of the case diary, it is evident that the Investigating Officer has collected adequate material connecting the accused with offences punishable under Sections 13, 18, 20 and 39 of the UAP Act, besides Section 506 of the RPC,” the court noted while issuing the warrant.
The judge further recorded that the Hizbul chief is deliberately evading arrest, leaving the court with no option but to issue a non-bailable warrant, directing the Jammu and Kashmir Police to arrest him.
“As per the statement of the Investigating Officer, the original case diary has been forwarded to the competent authority for sanction, following which the charge sheet will be filed before the competent court for trial in absentia,” the order said.
Salah-ud-din fled to Pakistan in 1990 at the peak of the outbreak of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He soon rose to become the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, once the largest terrorist organisation operating The order was passed by Special Judge (NIA) Budgam, Yahaya Firdous.
The Special Judge observed that the investigation had yielded sufficient prima facie evidence directly linking the Hizbul supremo to grave offences under UAPA.
The Special Judge further recorded that the Hizbul Chief is deliberately evading arrest. He directed the J&K Police to arrest him.
Salahuddin fled to Pakistan in 1990 at the peak of the outbreak of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Over the years, Salah-ud-din has been accused by Indian agencies of orchestrating terror attacks, funding militancy, and directing cross-border terrorism from Pakistani soil.
In 2017, the United States designated Salah-ud-din as a global terrorist, citing his role in directing militant violence in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2020, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs also designated him a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, cementing his status as one of India’s most wanted terror figures.
The heat has also reached Salah-ud-din’s immediate family. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had earlier terminated the services of his three sons — Shahid Yousuf, Shakeel Yousuf and Mueed Yousuf — from government employment under Article 311(2)(c), which permits dismissal without a departmental inquiry in the interest of national security.
Two of his sons, Shahid and Shakeel, have already been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror funding case, further exposing what agencies describe as a deep-rooted terror-financing network linked to the Hizbul chief.
With the issuance of the non-bailable warrant, investigators say the legal pressure on Salah-ud-din has sharply intensified, signalling India’s continued push to hold Pakistan-based terror handlers accountable, even as they operate from across the border. |
|
