| TNNJAMMU: A designated NIA court in Jammu has declined interim bail to Shafiq Ahmed Sheikh, an accused in the three year-old Sunjwan terror attack case, to attend his sister’s wedding.Special judge Prem Sagar, however, permitted Sheikh to participate in his sister’s ‘rukhsati’ ceremony through virtual mode from Kot Bhalwal prison, directing the jail superintendent to facilitate a video conference with his family on Aug 23 at 10 am.Sheikh, a resident of Monghama village in Tral area of Pulwama district, had sought bai claiming that he was the only brother of the bride and his presence was socially, morally and religiously indispensable for performing customary wedding rituals. His counsel argued that his aged parents had no other family member to look after the ceremonial arrangements.The NIA opposed the plea, arguing that attendance at a marriage ceremony does not create any legal entitlement to interim bail, particularly where an accused is facing prosecution for grave terror-related offences.
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The probe agency submitted that Sheikh was associated with the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and was arrested in a case related to indiscriminate firing on security personnel during a joint search operation in Sunjwan, Jammu, on April 22, 2022. The pre-dawn terror attack resulted in the death of a CISF assistant sub-inspector and injuries to several security personnel, while two heavily armed JeM fidayeen (suicide squad) terrorists were killed.After hearing both sides, the judge dismissed Sheikh’s plea on Aug 23.Meanwhile, the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh high court has upheld the detention of a Budgam resident, Shakeel Ahmad Wani, under Public Safety Act. The HC found no violation of constitutional or statutory safeguards in the detention order dated April 28, 2025, passed by the DM, and dismissed a habeas corpus petition.
