Delhi Court Orders Release of Kashmiri Separatist Shabbir Shah in Money Laundering Case

A Delhi court has ordered the release of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabbir Ahmad Shah in one of the 3 cases for which he is currently imprisoned.

However, Shah will remain in jail due to the 2 other cases filed against him in the national capital.

The order for his release came from Additional Sessions Judge Dheeraj Mor, who ruled in favor of Shah in a money laundering case connected to terror funding. The judge observed that Shah had been in continuous custody since July 26, 2017, and noted that the maximum sentence for money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is seven years. Shah’s detention has now exceeded that period.

“The accused is facing trial for an offence under PMLA, and the maximum substantive sentence prescribed for the said offence is seven years. He has been in continuous custody in this case since July 26, 2017, and more than seven years have passed. Accordingly, he is entitled to be released in this case,” stated the judge in the order issued on August 24.

Shah will still be detained due to two other ongoing cases filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

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