Areeb Majeed not part of ISIS rules Bombay HC

Special NIA court had charged Areeb Majeed for participating in Fidayeed attacks in Kurds.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by National Investigation Agency in the alleged ISIS recruit Areeb Majeed case. The NIA had filed an appeal against a special court's order refusing to charge Areeb Majeed as a member of Islamic State.

The High Court was of the opinion that there was no material to prove that Areeb was even a member of a terrorist gang or association. The NIA had moved court after one charge against Majeed was dropped by a trial court while framing charges. One charge under section 20 of Unlawful Activity Prevention Act was dropped by the lower court.

The High Court bench of Ranjit More and Sadhana Jadhav dismissed the NIA's plea after Majeed's counsel argued that his association with the then ISIL was prior to it being declared a terrorist organisation.

Mubin Solkar, who had appeared for Majeed in the lower court argued that NIA had claimed Majeed had fled to join the IS and since he was a member of the then ISIL, he had committed or taken part in terrorist acts. "Acts attributed to Areeb in 2014 were prior to the organisation being declared as a terror outfit," Mubin Solkar had pointed out. The same argument led to the trial court dropping charges of 'being a member of a terrorist group' against Majeed.

The NIA counsel argued that Majeed and three others had formed their own 'terrorist group' and hence attracted the offence under UAPA. The NIA chargesheet against Majeed says that he had formed his own gang of terrorists. However, the agency's own draft charges accuse Majeed of being a member of the IS and not of forming a separate terror outfit. The point was raised by Majeed's counsel after which the plea was dismissed.

OneIndia News