Bail is rule: Delhi court relief to Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez in UAPA case

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 10, 2026 07:38 PM IST

In November 2021, the NIA arrested Khurram Parvez for offences of waging war against the state, criminal conspiracy as well as for allegedly raising funds for terror funding under the UAPA. (File Photo)

Underlining that bail is the rule and its denial an exception, the Delhi High Court Wednesday granted bail to Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez in a 2021 terror case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which filed the case, had accused him of recruiting overground workers for the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Parvez will, however, continue to remain in jail, owing to a 2020 NIA case also under the stringent anti-terror law. His bail plea in the second case is pending before the trial court.

Observing that the trial in the case is at the stage of arguments for framing of charges, and that the prosecution intends to examine 197 witnesses in case charges are framed, the court recorded that there “is no likelihood of the trial ending soon”.

“(Allegations) must be tested against the long period of incarceration of (Parvez), the fact that there is no likelihood of the trial ending soon, as also against the yardstick of bail being the rule, while denial thereof being an exception. (Parvez’s) rights (to liberty)… need to be balanced and may even trump the restriction imposed under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA,” the bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said.

While granting Parvez bail, the bench also took into account that he is infirm “and deserves special consideration”. In 2004, Parvez had lost a leg in a landmine blast, resulting in permanent disability.

As part of his bail conditions, Parvez has been directed to not leave NCT of Delhi without prior permission of the court and “not upload/share/disseminate or circulate any anti-national material on any social media platform or otherwise”.

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The two cases

In November 2021, the NIA arrested Parvez for offences of waging war against the state, criminal conspiracy, as well as for allegedly raising funds for terror funding under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The FIR in this case was lodged on November 6, 2021. Parvez was arrested on November 22, 2021.

Earlier, in 2020, the NIA lodged a case accusing NGOs of terror funding by allegedly diverting funds meant for charitable activities to “secessionist and separatist activities” in Jammu and Kashmir. This case was registered on October 8, 2020, under various sections of the IPC and the UAPA. While Parvez was not named initially, he was subsequently arrested in this case in March 2023.

In 2016, Parvez was arrested under the Public Safety Act and spent 76 days in custody.

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Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court

Professional Profile

Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.

Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).

Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.

She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.

With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:

High-Profile Case Coverage

She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.

Signature Style

Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.

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