Court grants conditional relief while federal agency challenges ruling
NEW DELHI: Prominent Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez and independent journalist Irfan Mehraj have been released on bail after spending several years in custody under India’s anti-terror laws, while legal proceedings against them continue.
Parvez, arrested in 2021, and Mehraj, detained in 2023, were released from a New Delhi jail late on Wednesday after a lower court granted them bail. However, the Delhi High Court later declined to suspend the release order while imposing additional conditions as it considers an appeal filed by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Under the court’s restrictions, both men must remain in New Delhi during the trial and are not permitted to travel to Kashmir. The NIA has alleged that they used the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) to finance activities linked to armed groups and promote a pro-independence agenda. Both Parvez and Mehraj deny the allegations.
Rights groups welcome release
International human rights organisations welcomed the pair’s release while calling for the charges to be withdrawn. The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights and the World Organisation Against Torture described the case as politically motivated, while United Nations human rights experts have previously expressed concern over Parvez’s detention.
In 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said it believed Parvez’s arrest was linked to his human rights work and called for his release.
Parvez has worked with JKCCS, an organisation known for documenting alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, while Mehraj has contributed to several Kashmiri, Indian and international media outlets.
Broader debate continues
The case has drawn renewed attention to the use of India’s anti-terror legislation in Indian-administered Kashmir since the region’s special constitutional status was revoked in 2019.
Rights organisations have alleged that journalists, activists and civil society members have faced increasing legal pressure under these laws. Indian authorities, however, maintain that the measures are necessary to address security threats and combat terrorism.
The court proceedings against Parvez and Mehraj are expected to continue in the coming weeks as the NIA pursues its appeal against the bail order.
