All Parties Hurriyat Conference senior leader and President of Democratic Freedom Party Shabbir Ahmad Shah has been granted statutory bail by Delhi’s Patiala House Court in a ‘money launder-ing’ case.
According to Kashmir Media Service, default bail, also referred to as statutory bail, is a type of bail that becomes a legal right for a person in cus-tody. It is granted when the police cannot complete their investigation and file a Chargesheet within the legally specified time frame.
Shabbir Shah, who was arrested in 2017, re-ceived bail as he has already served more than half of the maximum potential sentence for his ‘offense’.
The bail requires him to post a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety bond of the same amount. He is also restricted from leaving the country without court permission. However, despite being granted bail, Shabbir Shah will remain in custody due to other pending cases against him.
In its decision, the court referenced the Supreme Court’s judgment in Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary’s case. It noted that Shabbir Shah has been in custody for 6 years and 10 months, which exceeds half of the 7-year maximum sentence for his current charge.
Additionally, the court mentioned the acquittal of Shabbir Shah’s co-accused, Mohammad Aslam Wani, in all but one predicate offense under the Arms Act.—KMS
