Babar Qadri murder case: JK HC upholds former bar president Mian Qayoom’s arrest

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has ruled that the arrest of former Bar Association President, Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, in the murder case of Advocate Babar Qadri was legal.

Qayoom had challenged his arrest on June 25, 2024, claiming it was unfair and unlawful. However, in a ruling on February 19, Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul rejected his plea, stating that his arrest and police custody followed proper legal procedures. The court found no violation of his rights.

Qayoom also objected to the repeated extensions of his police custody. But the High Court ruled that he was informed about the reasons for his arrest in time, and the process was recorded on video as per legal norms.

The court emphasized that his arrest was carried out according to the law, dismissing his petition against it. It also upheld the validity of the trial court’s remand orders, stating that they were well-reasoned and needed no interference.

Qayoom was arrested for allegedly being involved in a conspiracy to murder Advocate Babar Qadri in 2020. Qadri, a well-known lawyer and TV panellist, was shot dead at his home in Srinagar on September 24, 2020. A case was filed the same year under the IPC, Arms Act, and UAPA.

In 2023, the State Investigating Agency (SIA) took over the probe. Qayoom was summoned multiple times before his arrest in June 2024. He later moved the High Court, arguing that he had been cooperating with the investigation and that there was no reason to arrest him.

However, the court dismissed his arguments, stating that further investigation in the case was justified. It ruled that continuing the probe, even after an earlier chargesheet did not name Qayoom, was necessary to uncover the truth.

With this ruling, Qayoom’s petition challenging his arrest and the investigation was dismissed.