Jammu: The Special NIA Court in Jammu has passed two significant orders in separate terrorism-related cases, declaring a Rajouri resident reportedly living in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) a proclaimed offender and directing the sealed custody of sensitive forensic data recovered during the investigation of a Kishtwar terror case.
In the first case, Special Judge Prem Sagar declared Mushtaq Ahmed Mir, a resident of Thanamang in Darhal tehsil of Rajouri district, a proclaimed offender under Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) after he failed to appear before the court despite repeated legal proceedings.
According to the execution report submitted by the Station House Officer, Darhal, Mir had allegedly crossed the Line of Control in 1995–96 and joined militancy before taking shelter in PoK. Non-bailable warrants issued against him remained unexecuted.
The court had issued a proclamation on July 20, 2026, directing him to appear. Despite publication of the proclamation in newspapers, including The Statesman and Daily Excelsior on August 13, he neither surrendered nor appeared before the court.
After examining the prosecution material and execution reports, the court observed that the accused was allegedly absconding and deliberately avoiding the legal process, with no immediate prospect of securing his arrest. It directed that a copy of the order be forwarded to the Government Ranbir Press, Jammu, for publication in the Official Gazette.
In a separate case involving alleged terrorist support networks in Kishtwar, the court ordered that forensic data extracted from a mobile phone recovered from an encounter site be treated as protected material and kept in sealed custody.
The order was passed on an application moved by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in case RC-03/2026/NIA/JMU, involving accused Maneer Ahmed and allegations under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
According to the prosecution, Ahmed was arrested on April 15, 2026, for his alleged involvement in harbouring terrorists and providing logistical assistance, including a mobile phone, to persons linked to an attack.
During the investigation, a mobile phone recovered from an encounter site was examined by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh. The NIA sought protection of the extracted data, stating that it could contain sensitive information relating to terrorist communications, contacts, financial transactions, logistical arrangements and operational planning.
After considering the application and the relevant legal provisions, the court directed that the identified exhibit from the chargesheet be treated as protected data. The concerned court clerk was instructed not to disclose its contents during the trial and to preserve the material in a sealed cover at a protected location within the court.
The two orders concern separate proceedings, one relating to an accused evading judicial process and the other to safeguarding potentially sensitive digital evidence in a terrorism investigation.
