The Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed a special prosecutor in the NIA case involving PDP legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Para. Para is currently on bail in the case, and the NIA has already challenged the bail order.
In a government order issued on the instructions of the J&K lieutenant governor, principal secretary to the government Chanderkar Bharti said that, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (8) of Section 18 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and in supersession of the earlier notification issued on the subject, the government of the UT of J&K hereby appoints Abdul Rashid Dar, additional public prosecutor, NIA court, Srinagar, as special prosecutor in case FIR No. 21/2020 of CIK police station CIK, Srinagar, involving offences under Sections 13, 17, 18, 38, 39, and 40 of the UAPA, 1967, pending before the Special Judge, TADA/POTA, Srinagar.
Usually, the government appoints a special prosecutor in high-profile cases, which indicates that the government views this case as a high-profile one. Para said that the UAPA consumes lives and destroys families.
“When the process itself becomes the punishment, justice loses its meaning. No law should become a tool for keeping people and their families trapped in endless suffering. In these cases, the LG and CM are on the same page because the elected government never raises its voice on it,” he alleged.
{{/usCountry}}“When the process itself becomes the punishment, justice loses its meaning. No law should become a tool for keeping people and their families trapped in endless suffering. In these cases, the LG and CM are on the same page because the elected government never raises its voice on it,” he alleged.
{{/usCountry}}In 2022, Para was granted bail by the high court, 16 months after the J&K Police’s counter-intelligence wing arrested him for alleged links with militants and separatists, his lawyer said.
The NIA had arrested Para for his alleged links with militants on November 25, 2020. The PDP had termed all charges against him baseless. Though, he was granted bail by the NIA court on January 10, 2021, Para was again arrested by the CI wing of the J&K police.
Last year, a division bench of the J&K HC comprising justice Vinod Chatterjee Koul and justice Sanjeev Kumar, in an order, allowed Para to travel to any part of the country after informing the concerned authorities.
Earlier, Para had sought relaxation of the terms and conditions imposed by this court while granting bail in terms of the order dated 25.05.2022, in which the court had asked him not to leave the UT of J&K without prior permission of the trial court. Para is one of the most important leaders of the Opposition in J&K and has been speaking on public issues not only inside the House but also on social media.