New Delhi: Human rights activist Khurram Parvez and freelance journalist Irfan Mehraj have been granted bail by a Delhi court years after their arrests in separate cases linked to alleged terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Parvez, programme coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in November 2021 from his residence in Srinagar. Mehraj, who was associated with the same organisation, was arrested in 2023.
Both have been charged under stringent anti-terror laws, including allegations of funding terrorism and promoting a secessionist agenda. The cases are being probed by the NIA.
According to family members, the two were released from a Delhi prison late Wednesday after a higher court upheld their bail, despite opposition from the investigating agency.
However, the court has imposed strict conditions on their release. They have been directed to remain in New Delhi during the trial proceedings and are not permitted to travel to Jammu and Kashmir. They are also required to arrange their own accommodation in the national capital.
The JKCCS, with which both were associated, has been known for documenting alleged human rights violations in the region, including cases of enforced disappearances, torture and unlawful killings.
International human rights organisations have previously raised concerns over Parvez’s arrest. In 2023, a United Nations Working Group termed his detention as arbitrary and alleged it was linked to his rights work.
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