Kashmirfight blog case: Chargesheet filing process nearing completion

Srinagar, Dec 27, The filing of chargesheet in Kashmir fight blog case is nearing completion as the accused continue to remain in judicial custody while the police has collected “legally strong evidence” against the accused.

Police sources told Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) that the chargesheet in the case will be filed within 180 days of the arrest of the accused as evidence has been collected against them.

At present, all the accused continue to be in judicial custody including the former Secretary of SMC Sofi Akbar and his son Tabish Akbar in Central Jail in Srinagar.

“Lot of evidence has been collected against the accused in the case and soon chargesheet will be filed against them in the court,” Police sources said, adding that the “evidence is the same” for the different FIRs that were registered into the case.

According to police FIR number 52/2018 was registered in the Kashmirfight blog case when journalist Syed Sujhaat Bukhari was killed and later police also registered FIR number 82/2020 and 41/2021 at police station Kothibagh of East Srinagar.

A police officer told Kashmir Dot Com that “The case is moving in the right direction with the collection of strong evidence against all the accused including Sofi Akbar, the SMC officer.”

He said cases registered against ‘kashmirfight blog case’ under FIR number 41 of 2021 will be merged with FIR number 82 of 2020 to avoid double jeopardy and will be legally pursued in the court.

Pertinently, Police in July this year arrested five persons identified as Nazish Yasrab Rehmani and Tabish Akbar Rehmani from Sanatnagar, Sofi Muhammad Akbar from Rajbagh, Peerzada Raqif Makhdoomi from Batpora, Hazratbal and Javed Khalid from Poonch for allegedly running an online blog site, which ran smear campaigns and prepared a hit list of prominent personalities in Kashmir.

Later a special court of NIA in Srinagar granted bail to two allegedly accused Nazish Yasrab and Javed Khalid from Poonch and imposed the conditions on them.