Prominent Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez and journalist Irfan Mehraj were released from a New Delhi jail late Wednesday after spending several years in custody in a case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). However, both will continue to face trial and remain under strict court-imposed bail conditions.
Parvez, coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), was arrested in November 2021, while Mehraj, a freelance journalist and researcher associated with the organisation, was arrested in 2023.
The two have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other laws on allegations of funding terrorism and promoting a separatist agenda. Both have denied the charges.
Delhi High Court allows release but imposes conditions
A trial court had granted bail to Parvez and Mehraj last week. The NIA challenged the order before the Delhi High Court, seeking to stop their release.
The High Court declined to stay the bail order but imposed additional restrictions while hearing the agency’s appeal. Under the conditions, both men must remain in Delhi, where the trial is taking place, arrange their own accommodation, and are not permitted to travel to Jammu and Kashmir without court permission.
The legal proceedings in the case will continue over the coming weeks.
NIA alleges terror funding, accused deny charges
According to the NIA, Parvez and Mehraj allegedly used the JKCCS to channel funds for militant-linked activities and promote a separatist narrative in Kashmir.
Both have consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that they are being prosecuted for their human rights and journalistic work.
The JKCCS has for years documented alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, including reports on torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Rights groups renew demand to drop charges
Following their release, several international human rights organisations welcomed the development and renewed calls for the charges against the two men to be withdrawn.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) described the case as politically motivated.
In a joint statement, the organisations said, “Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj were arrested on trumped-up charges.”
They further urged Indian authorities to “drop all charges against them as they are part of politically motivated proceedings aimed at discrediting their legitimate work and the JKCCS.”
United Nations human rights experts and other international organisations have also previously called for the release of Parvez and Mehraj, saying their detention was linked to their work documenting human rights issues in Kashmir.
