Shabir Shah’s wife gets bail in money laundering case

New Delhi, October 29

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A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to Bilquis Shah, wife of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah, in a 2005 money laundering case for alleged terror financing to cause unrest in J&K.

Accused of receiving Rs2 crore

• The chargesheet filed by ED’s special public prosecutor NK Matta states Bilquis Shah and Shabir Shah received Rs2.08 crore from “hawala dealer” Mohammad Aslam Wani
• The claim was based on Wani’s disclosure wherein he admitted that “all amounts were in cash and were handed over to Shabir and on three occasions to Bilquis Shah”

Special Judge Dharmender Rana granted her relief on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties each in the like amount, saying that placing her under custody would not serve any purpose.

The probe agency had named her as an accused in its supplementary charge sheet filed in September 2020. “I concur with the defence counsel that now placing her under custody would not serve any purpose. Considering her gender, nature of allegations against the applicant/accused, and the fact that she was not even arrested by the investigating authority during the course of the investigation, accused Bilquis Shah is admitted to bail,” the judge said.

The court also directed her to appear before the court on every date of hearing and she shall not leave the country without the permission of the court. It also directed her to surrender her passport.

The court, meanwhile, allowed the ED to examine Shabir Shah in jail regarding the recently traced out proceeds of crime.

Advocate MS Khan, appearing for Bilquis Shah, submitted that she had been falsely implicated. The special public prosecutors for ED, submitted that the accused might flee from the course of justice and may even attempt to tamper with the evidence if released. — PTI