A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Srinagar has declared Dr Muzaffar Ahmad Rather, an accused in the so-called white-collar terror module linked to the November 10 car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, a proclaimed offender under Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
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The proclamation was issued last week by a special judge designated under the NIA Act and was pasted on Rather’s residence in Qazigund on Saturday, according to officials familiar with the development. The court has directed Rather to appear before it on January 28, 2026, at 10 am to face the complaint filed against him.
In its order, the court stated that a public proclamation was being made to secure the presence of Dr Muzaffar Ahmad Rather, who is required to answer charges in the case. Investigators believe that Rather is currently hiding in Afghanistan. His brother, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, was earlier arrested in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the same case.
The terror module came to light after Srinagar police launched an investigation into threatening posters targeting police and security forces that were pasted on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, in mid-October. The probe led investigators to Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, where two doctors, Dr Muzaffar Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, were arrested. During the operation, around 2,900 kilograms of explosive material was seized in November.
According to investigators, the module was allegedly run by a core group of doctors, including Dr Ganaie, Dr Umar Nabi and Dr Muzaffar Ahmad Rather. Dr Umar Nabi was identified as the driver of the explosives-laden car that exploded near the Red Fort, killing 15 people.
Section 84 of the BNSS outlines the legal procedure for declaring an individual a proclaimed offender when they abscond to evade arrest. The process includes issuing a public proclamation through local announcements, pasting notices at the accused’s residence or village, affixing the order in court premises and, if required, publishing it in newspapers.
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