A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to Kashmiri photojournalist Kamran Yousuf, IANS reported. Yousuf had been arrested in September 2017 for his alleged involvement in “stone-pelting incidents”.
On Monday, Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sherawat, granting Yousuf’s bail plea, asked him to furnish two sureties of Rs 50,000.
The National Investigation Agency opposed the bail petition and claimed that some witnesses had confirmed that Yousuf was shouting “anti-national slogans” and pelting stones at security forces. However, defence counsel Warisha Farasat pleaded the journalist’s innocence.
In February, the National Investigation Agency produced a chargesheet against Yousuf, telling the court that he was not a “real journalist”. It said that a “real journalist” should cover development activities by the government, inaugurations of hospitals and schools, and statements of ruling parties.
The chargesheet also said Yousuf had the intention to cover only “anti-national” activities and earn money through this, as he had “hardly taken any video” of social work done by the Army in Kashmir Valley.
Yousuf had sought relief saying he was present at stone-pelting sites merely because he was covering those incidents.
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