Shabir Shah seeks bail in Delhi court

New Delhi, May 5

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A Delhi court on Wednesday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for reply on a bail plea field by Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah who claimed that there was no likelihood of the trial being completed any time soon in the money laundering case due to the current pandemic situation.

Shah was arrested on July 25, 2017 and since then he is in custody. Special Judge Dharmender Rana issued notice to the agency and sought its response by May 24, when he will next hear the matter. Shah’s advocate MS Khan said the maximum punishment prescribed for the offence of money laundering was seven years, and that he had already spent more than half of that period.

“The accused has spent three years and nine months as an under-trial. The said period is one-half period of the punishment prescribed for the offence under section 4 (punishment for money-laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” the application said. Advocate Qausar Khan, also representing the accused, added that he was entitled to be released on bail as per law. — PTI