Delhi HC seeks NIA's response on bail plea of Mohd Waqar Lone in ISIS-linked terror case

New Delhi [India], March 27 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a bail plea of Mohd Waqar Lone, accused in a terror case linked with ISIS.
Waqar is alleged to be a member of ISIS and involved in the activities of the outfit.
The division bench of Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Anup Jairam Bhambhani issued a notice to the NIA. Advocate Rahul Tyagi appeared for the NIA and accepted the notice.
The High Court has asked the NIA to file a response in four weeks. The nominal roll has also been called from the Jail. The matter was listed on May 2 for hearing.
Lone has challenged an order passed on January 28, 2025, by the Special Court (NIA), wherein the Special Judge has dismissed the bail application filed by him. It is stated that the bail plea was dismissed without considering the merits and the long incarceration of the appellant.
This NIA case was registered on March 5, 2021, for the offence under section 120-B, 121 & 121-A IPC as well as under section 17, 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 40 of UA(P) Act against accused namely, Mohammed Ameen alias Aby Yahya and others with the allegations that he has been running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms, propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of ISIS and radicalising the new recruited members to the ISIS module.
Lone was arrested in the present case on August 14, 2021.
It is stated that after completion of the investigation, the supplementary charge sheet was filed on January 28, 2022, against the accused, namely Mundadiguttu Sadananda Marla Deepthi alias Deepthi Marla alias Maryam, Mohd. Waqar Lone, Mizha Siddeeque, Shifa Haris alias Ayesha, Obaid Hamid Matta, Madesh Shankar alias Abdullah alias Dardan, Ammar Abdul Rahiman and Muzamil Hassan Bhat.
Lone was charge sheeted for the offence under 120-B & 121-A of the Indian Penal Code and 17, 18, 18-B, 20, 39 and 40 of UAPA, and the Special Judge (NIA) took cognizance of the same.
NIA has alleged that the accused Mohd. Waqar Lone alias Wilson Kashmiri was using secured and encrypted social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook messenger, Gmail etc. for searching, radicalizing and recruiting likeminded persons to carry forward the ideology and activities of the banned terrorist organization ISIS by way of carrying out terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir for the establishment of law of Caliphate.
It is further alleged that Waqar Lone is an anti-national and Pakistan supporter and does not believe in Secularism and the Indian Constitution. (ANI)