Chargesheet filed against four lawyers including Mian Qayoom after 16 years

Srinagar: Sixteen years after the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), Srinagar Police on Friday filed a charge sheet before the designated National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Srinagar against former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom, former Vice President Advocate Aijaz Ahmad Bedar, Advocate G.N. Shaheen and deceased Advocate Bilal Ahmad Bhat.

The case pertains to an FIR registered at Police Station Maisuma on March 29, 2010.

Reports said that Police Station Maisuma submitted the charge sheet before the designated NIA Court under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 188 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) for judicial consideration.

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly raised pro-Azadi slogans, shouted slogans directed against the sovereignty and integrity of India, violated prohibitory orders imposed by the District Magistrate during an incident at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, and delivered speeches that the prosecution describes as provocative.

With the filing of the charge sheet after nearly sixteen years, the case has formally entered the trial stage.

The designated NIA Court has fixed August 12, 2026, as the next date of hearing for further proceedings. [KNT]