Red Fort blast case: Delhi court takes cognisance of NIA chargesheet against 13 accused

New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) A Delhi court on Saturday took cognisance of the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) chargesheet filed in connection with the deadly Red Fort blast case that claimed 11 lives and left several others injured.

The Special NIA Court listed the matter for further hearing on September 9.

The anti-terror agency has chargesheeted a total of 13 accused in connection with the November 10, 2025, car bomb explosion near the Red Fort, including prime accused Dr Umer Un Nabi, who was killed in the blast.

The high-intensity Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) blast had triggered a nationwide security alert and caused extensive damage to surrounding property.

Earlier, the anti-terror agency had filed a voluminous chargesheet running into around 7,500 pages against 10 accused under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

According to the NIA, the accused were allegedly associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an outfit considered an offshoot of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Among those named in the initial chargesheet was the alleged mastermind, Dr Umer Un Nabi, a Pulwama-based former Assistant Professor of Medicine at Al-Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad. The NIA had proposed abatement of charges against him following his death in the blast.

The other accused named in the initial chargesheet included Aamir Rashid Mir, Jasir Bilal Wani, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay, Soyab, Dr Bilal Naseer Malla and Yasir Ahmad Dar.

The NIA’s investigation had covered Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Delhi-NCR region, involving examination of 588 witnesses, more than 395 documentary records and over 200 seized exhibits and material objects.

Subsequently, on June 27, the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet against three more accused — Zameer Ahmad Ahanger, Tufail Ahmad Bhat and Muzafar Ahmad alias Faraz alias Zafar, all residents of Jammu and Kashmir, taking the total number of chargesheeted accused to 13.

According to the NIA, absconding accused Muzafar Ahmad, a paediatrician and elder brother of co-accused Adeel Ahmed Rather, was a founding member of “AGuH Interim”, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, and one of the prime architects of the conspiracy along with Umer Un Nabi, Muzammil, Adeel and Mufti Irfan.

The investigation revealed that Muzafar had attended a secret Eidgah meeting in Srinagar in June 2022, during which the AGuH Interim terror module was established.

The NIA further claimed that Muzafar was involved in the manufacture, testing and safekeeping of TATP-based IEDs at a clandestine facility operated by Umer and Muzammil at Al-Falah University in Faridabad.

A Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) has been issued against Muzafar, who is absconding, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest him, the agency has said.

The NIA has alleged that Zameer, an overground worker (OGW) of AGuH Interim, remained in contact with handlers and acted as a courier for arms, ammunition and cash for the terror module.

Tufail, a former OGW of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), allegedly acted as an arms supplier and procured one AK-47, one Krinkov rifle, one pistol, magazines and live ammunition through dead drops arranged by a handler. The weapons were allegedly delivered to Umer Un Nabi for Rs 3 lakh.

The anti-terror agency has also claimed to have established linkages between the accused through multidisciplinary scientific investigation, including forensic examination, geo-location mapping of conspiracy sites and detailed financial-trail analysis.

–IANS

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