Fact-check: No, NIA court didn't acquit all accused of killing Jamiat-e-Ahlihadeeth J&K chief

On December 11, Friday, a host of media reports stated that a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has acquitted all those accused of killing Jamiat-e-Ahlihadeeth Jammu and Kashmir chief Showkat Ahmad Shah.

Shah was killed in an IED explosion outside a mosque in Maisuma in April 2011 and the accused included Mohammad Abdullah Uni, a militant commander, and Fayaz Ahmad, general secretary of PoK based Jehad Council.

The claim

The media reports claimed that all the accused, who were proceeded against under Section 512 of the CrPC, were given benefit of the doubt as the judge observed that the prosecution failed to establish the circumstances that would lead to the presumption of a commission of the murder of Shah under a criminal conspiracy.

"An NIA court has acquitted all the people accused of killing Jamiat-e-Ahlihadeeth Jammu and Kashmir chief Showkat Ahmad Shah in a low-intensity blast outside a mosque in Maisuma area in 2011," read a report by PTI.

"The court of special judge designated under NIA Act Ashwini Kumar Sharma, in a 156-page order issued on Thursday, acquitted all the accused of the charges of murdering Shah," it added.

Fact-check

Issuing a statement in a similar regard, the NIA dubbed the reports of acquittal of all the accused in a case related to the killing of Jamiat-e-Ahlihadeeth chief as misleading.

"On 11.12.2020, there was a misleading news published by some media houses that NIA Court in Srinagar has acquitted all accused of killing Jamiat-e-Ahlihadeeth J&K chief Showkat Ahmad Shah. It is clarified that for all the cases of NIA in Jammu & Kashmir, the trials are conducted by the NIA Special Court at Jammu, which has been designated by Ministry of Home Affairs and Hon'ble High Court of Jammu and Kashmir," the NIA said in a press release.

It further informed that in the current year, all the designated NIA Special Courts in the country have pronounced judgements in 11 cases and the NIA has been able to secure 100 per cent conviction.

"The reference to the term NIA Court in respect of the designated court dealing with Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act cases in Srinagar is misinformation leading to raising of doubts about NIA's working," the statement concluded.

Therefore, it is evident that the claims made by media reports pertaining to the acquittal of those accused of killing Jamiat-e-Ahlihadeeth chief by an NIA court are not true.