NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday extended by seven days the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of Jasir Bilal Wani, a key accused in the Red Fort blast case that claimed 13 lives on November 10. Wani, a resident of Qazigund in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, was produced before the court as his earlier seven-day remand, granted on November 27 by Principal Sessions and District Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna, expired on Wednesday.
Wani was arrested by the NIA in Srinagar on November 17 for allegedly providing technical expertise to the terror module behind the attack. Investigators said he was modifying drones and attempting to develop rudimentary rocket-launching mechanisms to aid future strikes. The agency has so far arrested seven individuals linked to what officials describe as a “white-collar” terror network first uncovered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking court-monitored oversight of all stages of the trial in the blast case. A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela dismissed the plea at the preliminary stage, noting that the trial had not yet begun and that the petition lacked the essential ingredients of a maintainable writ.
“It is a good piece of essay… please don’t waste the Court’s time,” Chief Justice Upadhyaya remarked, stressing that judicial intervention was unwarranted based on mere apprehension. Justice Gedela added that while delays in terror-related trials may be a concern, assuming delay before the trial commences is speculative and premature.
The petitioner, Dr. Pankaj Pushkar, had sought a day-to-day trial monitored by a judicial committee and monthly status reports from the prosecution. He argued that court assurances were necessary to prevent prolonged proceedings.