High Court Dismisses Government Appeal in Landmark UAPA Case

The High Court of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh has dismissed an appeal by the government contesting the acquittal of Ghulam Mohammad Lone by a special NIA court. Lone, who faced trial for charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, had been acquitted in February last year.

The court clarified that the act attributed to Lone did not meet the criteria defined as "unlawful activity" under Section 2(o) of the Act. The charges against him involved the alleged pasting of threatening posters by a banned group in 2012, targeting elected local officials.

With Justice Sanjay Parihar and Justice Sanjeev Kumar presiding, the division bench observed insufficient evidence in the case, particularly noting the prosecution's lack of material linking Lone definitively to the supposed activities. Consequently, the court upheld the special NIA court's acquittal order.

(With inputs from agencies.)