* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Reserved on: 17.02.2026 Pronounced on: 20.03.2026 + CRL.A. 406/2023 & CRL.M.(BAIL) 856/2025 HARIS NISAR LANGOO .....Appellant Through: Ms. Tara Narula and Ms. Priya Vats, Advocates.

versus NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY .....Respondent Through: Mr. Gautam Narayan, Senior Advocate/SPP with Ms. Asmita Singh, Mr. Shashank Jain, Mr.Geet Kumar, Mr. Prabhat Bajpai, Advocates with Insp.

Lokesh.

+ CRL.A. 408/2023 & CRL.M.A. 13367/2023 ZAMIN ADIL BHAT .....Appellant Through: Mr. Jawahar Raja, Ms. Tamana Pankaj, Ms. Priya Vats, Ms.Sonal Sarda, Ms.Aditi Saraswat and Ms.Nitai Hinduja Advocates.

versus NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY .....Respondent Through: Mr. Gautam Narayan, Senior Advocate/SPP with Ms. Asmita Singh, Mr. Shashank Jain, Mr.Geet Kumar, Mr. Prabhat Bajpai, Advocates with Insp.

Lokesh.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE NAVIN CHAWLA HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RAVINDER DUDEJA

J U D G M E N T

NAVIN CHAWLA, J.

1. The present criminal appeals have been filed by the appellant(s) under Section 21(4) of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (hereinafter referred to as the „NIA Act‟) read with Section 43-D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (hereinafter referred to as the „UAPA‟), assailing the Order dated 03.03.2023 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge-03, Special Court (NIA), New Delhi District, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi (hereinafter referred to as the „Trial Court‟) in SC Case No. 02/2022, titled NIA v. Tariq Ahmed Dar & Ors., whereby the learned Trial Court rejected the bail application(s) filed by the appellant(s) herein.

2. The appellant(s) before this Court are Zamin Adil Bhat (Accused No. 14 before the learned Trial Court) in CRL.A. 408/2023, and Haris Nisar Langoo (Accused No. 15 before the learned Trial Court) in CRL.A. 406/2023.

3. Before this Court, certain submissions have been advanced which are common to both the appeals, particularly on the issue of prolonged incarceration and the plea founded on Article 21 of the Constitution of India. At the same time, each appeal also raises issues specific to the concerned appellant; turning on the role attributed to such appellant; the prosecution material relied upon; and, the findings recorded by the learned Trial Court. The present judgment, therefore, first notices the broad factual background of the case and the prosecution narrative as emerging from the FIR and the charge sheets filed pursuant thereto.

CASE OF THE PROSECUTION:

4. The case of the prosecution is that reliable information was received by the Central Government regarding the hatching of a conspiracy, both in the physical realm and in cyberspace, to carry out violent terrorist acts in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and other parts of India, including New Delhi. It is alleged that the said conspiracy was orchestrated by hybrid cadres/sleeper cells of various proscribed terrorist organisations, such as, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, and other similar outfits, operating through their affiliated front organisations, including The Resistance Front (TRF), People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF), Muslim Janbaaz Force (MJF), and Mujahideen Ghazwatul Hind (MGH).

5. On the basis of the aforementioned intelligence inputs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, issued Order No. 11011/65/2021/NIA dated 10.10.2021, directing the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation. Pursuant thereto, FIR bearing No. RC-29/2021/NIA/DLI (hereinafter referred to as the „FIR‟) came to be registered at Police Station NIA, Delhi, on 10.10.2021, under Sections 120B, 121A, 122, and 123 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (hereinafter referred to as the „IPC‟), and Sections

18, 18-A, 18-B, 20, 38, and 39 of the UAPA.

6. The FIR, as per the record, apart from naming various individual accused persons, also narrates a broad conspiracy allegedly involving Pakistan-based handlers, the Pakistan ISI (intelligence agency), their l