Supreme Court stays bail of Kashmiri businessman in terror funding case
New Delhi, Sep 14 : A day after the Delhi High Court granted bail to Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali in a terror funding case, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the order.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud said it would hear the matter on September 26.
The order came on a plea filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) challenging the Delhi High Court's order, saying that it has ignored the evidence against Watali.
Appearing for the NIA, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told the apex court that there were "very serious charges" against the businessman and he should not have been granted bail.
The Agency further contended that documents recovered from the premises of Watali's accountant have showed that money had been received from Pakistan-based terrorist leaders Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin and the Pakistan High Commission which was distributed to Hurriyat leaders to finance terror activities.
Forensic analysis of Watali's signature proved his involvement, but the high court ignored the documents as a "piece of paper",the NIA told the apex court.
A counsel appearing for Watali said he was 75-years-old and has been in jail for months and there were no grounds for the NIA to make a case against him.
Watali, arrested for his alleged role in a terror-funding case involving Saeed, was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on Thursday, directing him to not leave the country without permission.
He had challenged the trial court's June 8 order rejecting his bail plea.
Watali was arrested on August 17, 2017, and was charge-sheeted by the NIA on January 18 along with Saeed, Salahuddin, seven Kashmiri separatist leaders and others in the case.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
