Court discharges Hizbul Mujahideen suspect after 18 years

A Delhi court today discharged Mohammed Ahsan Dar, a suspected aide of Pakistan based Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, in an 18-year-old Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, (Tada) case.

A Special Tada court let off Dar, saying there was no prima-facie evidence against the accused in the matter as the CBI had already filed a closure report.

"There is no evidence against the accused to proceed with the trial since the CBI has already filed a closure report in the case," the special Tada court said.

The CBI had sought closure of the case against Dar on the ground that it had failed to get a confessional statement on the charges levelled against him of receiving money from Salahuddin.

Dar, along with Salahuddin, was wanted in the case registered under Tada for allegedly abetting terror activities in the country.

He was accused by the CBI of receiving $10,000 and a letter from Salahuddin in the FIR registered on April 20, 1991.

Dar, 53, who hails from Baramullah and evaded arrest for a long time, was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir police on January 14, 2009, and later quizzed by the investigating agency after being taken into three-day custody in June.