Khurram Parvez gets bail: Why Delhi HC granted relief despite stringent UAPA conditions

📌 Summary:

• Delhi High Court (June 10) granted bail to Kashmiri rights activist Khurram Parvez in a 2021 NIA terror-conspiracy case — 4.5 years after his arrest
• Bench (Justices Navin Chawla & Ravinder Dudeja) cited prolonged custody, slow trial progress, and his disability as grounds
• Court held Article 21 rights "may even trump" the restriction under Section 43D(5) of UAPA; reaffirmed "bail is the rule, denial the exception"
• Parvez, JKCCS programme coordinator, was alleged by NIA to be part of an LeT network; he said his work was fact-finding and documentation of rights abuses
• Prosecution rested substantially on a co-accused who turned approver in 2019, whose evidence remains untested
• Court weighed his disability (lost a leg in a landmine blast) and inadequate prison facilities for disabled persons
• He stays in jail on a separate 2020 NIA case where bail is still pending

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Internal Security / GS2 Judiciary — UAPA bail regime vs Article 21, undertrial incarceration, balancing national security with civil liberties

📝 Prelims Facts:

• UAPA Section 43D(5): bail barred if accusations are "prima facie true"
• Article 21: right to life and personal liberty
• Investigating agency: NIA (National Investigation Agency)

🔑 Key Term: Section 43D(5), UAPA — sets a far higher threshold than ordinary bail; courts must deny bail if a prima facie true case is found