Anantnag: The special court of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) here Thursday denied bail to two men accused of a scandalous online campaign against female Kashmiri students studying outside.
Iftikhar Ahmad Dar of Sarnal, Anantnag, and Abid Shafi Malik of Noorabad, Damhal Hanjipora, Kulgam were on January 21 booked for posting a video on social networking site Facebook that the girl students outside were involved in immoral activities and drug abuse.
The duo was subsequently arrested by Police and charged for criminal conspiracy, inciting people for violence, and causing hatred.
A case vide FIR No 213/2021 under Section 120 B, 120-AB, 153, and 505 (i) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against them at Police Station Anantnag.
NIA Special Judge for south Kashmir, Javaid Aalam rejected the bail application of the accused on the grounds of restraining female students to pursue higher education outside J&K by indulging in their character assassination.
“The parents are now reluctant to send their girls outside after the video went viral and issues about marriage may be confronted,” the NIA court held. “No religion allows anybody to indulge in character assassination of any person including females. Islam also prohibits it in the holy Quran as well as the Hadith.”
It said that the act of the duo may not be a war against the country, but definitely, it was a war against girl children to restrain them to pursue higher education.
“The bail application moved today are bereft of any merit and are rejected,” the court said.
Earlier, the counsel of the accused had argued that the two were respected citizens with no antecedents of mischief or criminal instinct.
“The allegation committed by the accused is not of such nature that will be construed to have a likelihood of fomenting trouble or war against the nation,” they said while pleading for bail.
However, the prosecution maintained that the accused were a grave threat to society.
“The offenses committed by the accused are highly deleterious having societal ramifications and tendency to instigate people against the sovereignty of the nation. They have impaired the reputation of girl students by mass slender of their character,” it said.