Indian NIA Challenges Bail for Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj in Alleged Terror Funding Case

India: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has moved the Delhi High Court seeking to set aside the bail granted by a trial court to prominent human rights activist Khurram Parvez and Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj in a high-profile alleged terror funding case.

The matter was mentioned before the Chief Justice’s bench on an urgent basis, indicating the agency’s intent to challenge the recent order at the earliest.

A Delhi court, on Saturday, July 18, granted bail to Parvez, coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), and Mehraj, a former researcher associated with the organisation, in the NIA’s 2020 case (RC-37/2020), often referred to as the “NGO terror funding case.” The bail order was passed by Principal and Sessions Judge Pitamber Dutt at Patiala House Courts.

Both individuals had been in judicial custody since March 2023 in connection with this probe. Parvez has faced prolonged detention across multiple related cases. The NIA has accused them of diverting funds from NGOs and charitable sources to support banned organisations and facilitating separatist activities in IIO Jammu and Kashmir. The duo has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated.

This development comes shortly after Parvez was granted bail by the Delhi High Court in a separate NIA case in June 2026, where the court had cited his extended incarceration and health concerns as key factors.

The NIA’s move to the High Court underscores the agency’s stance on the seriousness of the charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which imposes stringent conditions for granting bail.