Srinagar: Mian Abdul Qayoom, a former president of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (JKHBA)’s Kashmir chapter, accused of being involved in the conspiracy to kill a fellow lawyer, has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism.
J&K State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Thursday filed a 340-page supplementary chargesheet against Mr. Qayoom in the Babar Qadri murder case in a special NIA court in Jammu, claiming that the in-depth investigation conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) revealed that he (Mr. Qayoom) “had an inimical relation with the deceased and got him eliminated through the terrorists of The Resistance Front (TRF) and their handlers in Pakistan by hatching a criminal conspiracy.” The J&K police claims that the TRF is an off-shoot of proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
35-year-old Qadri who shot to prominence mainly due to his frequently appearing in prime time shows and debates on Kashmir on various TV channels was targeted by unknown gunmen at his home in Srinagar’s Hawal area on September 24, 2020. Sometime before his murder, Mr. Qadri had launched a political party called All JK People’s Justice Party and named himself as its president. Following this, the JKHCBA had suspended his membership for showing “indiscipline.”
Days before his murder, Mr. Qadri, who had been a vocal critic of the JKHCBA leadership, particularly targeting Mr. Qayoom, had expressed concerns about his safety. In a Facebook video posted a few days before his killing, Mr. Qadri had accused Mr. Qayoom of stifling dissent and transforming the JKHCBA into a mouthpiece for Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference faction.
Mr. Qayoom, 80, one of the most prominent and well-known lawyers who served as the president of the JKHCBA for twenty terms between 1986 and 2019 was arrested by the SIA in June this year after it had “collected substantial evidence against him.”
Mr. Qayoom, known for his close association with Islamist and pro-Pakistan separatist leader Mr. Geelani who died at the age of 91 after a prolonged illness on September 1, 2021, was shot at and critically wounded by two unidentified men at his Srinagar residence on April 22, 1995. He was incarcerated several times in the past including following the Centre stripped the erstwhile state of J&K of its special status and split it up into two Union Territories in August 2019. He has been often accused of being involved in anti-India political activities and openly supporting the separatist cause. The SIA has said that the Geelani faction of the Hurriyat Conference wanted to have control over the JKHCBA through Mr. Qayoom
In a statement, the SIA said that a case was registered under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, section 7/27 of the Indian Arms Act and sections 13, 16,18,20 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act- UAPA was registered in 2020 and investigation taken up by a SIT framed by IGP Kashmir and headed by SP Hazratbal (Srinagar).
“The SIT conducted the investigation and presented the chargesheet against six accused persons on May 6, 2021, before the Special NIA Court, Srinagar. Thereafter, further investigation in the case U/S 173 (8) CrPC was started by SDPO Zadibal. However, on July 20, 2023, PHQ J&K transferred the further investigation of the case to SIA J&K following which a SIT was formed, which was specifically tasked to unravel the larger conspiracy behind the killing," the statement read.
It added that the SIT took over the investigation and based on sufficient oral, documentary and technical evidence arrested Mr. Qayoom on June 25, 2024 as the principal conspirator behind Qadri’s killing.
