A Delhi court today snubbed an overenthusiastic prosecutor for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for asking separatist leader Shabir Shah to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ to prove his patriotism, saying that it was not a television studio.
Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma chided the lawyer for his remark and later allowed the ED’s plea for extension by six days Shah’s custodial interrogation in a decade-old money laundering case.
Counsel for the ED Rajeev Awasthi alleged that Shah (64) was ruining the country by using money to fund terror and breached the line by daring the separatist leader to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ to prove his patriotism.
However, an anguished judge stopped him, warning that the courtroom was not a “television studio”.
“Argue on the merits of the case,” said the judge.
During the proceedings, the ED submitted that foreign funds were used for terror activities, including stone-throwing on security personnel in the Valley.
The agency told the court that the source of funding of properties of Shah, worth hundreds of crores, had to be unearthed. The prosecutor told the court that Shah, arrested on July 25 in the money laundering, was “totally non-cooperative” during his questioning by the ED.
Advocate MS Khan, appearing for Shah, however, alleged that his client was being pressured and compelled to give various statements during his custody by ED officials. He opposed the submission made by the agency, saying that it was not revealing the complete facts before the court.
The agency said there was a need to probe a lot of cash transactions which were used for terror activities and stone-throwing, causing inconvenience in the Valley.
The ED said it was ascertaining Shah’s role in “anti-national activities” and the terror funding through hawala channels from countries like Pakistan, the UAE and the UK.
Court snubs lawyer for asking Shabir Shah to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’
