The Supreme Court of India on Thursday adjourned to January 7 the hearing on senior Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Shabbir Ahmed Shah’s plea seeking bail in a so-called funding case, raising concerns over the judiciary’s alignment with the Modi-led government.
Shah, a veteran Kashmiri leader, was arrested in June 2019 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which included his name in its second supplementary charge sheet in October 2019.
When the matter was taken up, the NIA requested a month-long adjournment, citing the unavailability of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing Shah, opposed the delay, stressing the urgency of the bail plea. The apex court reluctantly listed the hearing for January 7.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had denied Shah’s release on medical grounds, while the Delhi High Court had rejected his bail plea, claiming he might tamper with evidence or influence witnesses.
Rights defenders say these repeated delays reflect the Indian judiciary’s complicity with the Modi regime in suppressing Kashmir’s political leadership under the pretext of anti-terror laws. They warn that such tactics are part of a broader strategy to intimidate Kashmiri leaders and silence voices advocating for Kashmir’s rights.
