New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah in a terror funding case. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta granted relief to the 74-year-old leader, noting his prolonged period of incarceration and the delay in the completion of the trial.

Shah had challenged the Delhi High Court’s order rejecting his bail plea. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 in connection with the terror funding case.

In his plea before the top court, Shah contended that he had been in custody for more than six years, and that the trial was progressing at a slow pace, with only 15 out of about 400 witnesses examined so far.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had rejected Shah’s bail application, observing that the allegations against him were serious and that the possibility of his influencing witnesses or engaging in similar activities could not be ruled out.

“Although the appellant (Shah) has been in custody for five years, the charges have already been framed, and the trial is underway. There is no delay on the part of the prosecution for not examining its witnesses,” it said.

Shah had filed a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision.

According to the NIA, Shah played a key role in strengthening separatist networks in Jammu and Kashmir and allegedly received funds through hawala channels and Line of Control (LoC) trade to support subversive and militant activities.

His name was included in the second supplementary charge sheet filed by the NIA on October 4, 2019.

During earlier hearings before the apex court, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Shah, had argued that the case against him was based on a single speech and that he had already spent a substantial period in custody. Opposing the plea, the NIA had argued that Shah and others were involved in funding street protests aimed at paralysing the administration and supporting separatist activities.

Earlier, in September 2025, the Supreme Court had declined to order Shah’s immediate release on interim bail on medical grounds but sought the NIA’s response on his bail plea. At the time, the Justice Nath-led Bench had appeared unconvinced by Gonsalves’s submission that Shah’s deteriorating health warranted interim relief.

–IANS

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