Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, who had appeared for the NIA, assured that the police would protect the children from harm in case of threats. File | Photo Credit: PTI
The Supreme Court on Thursday (April 24, 2025) said “family members must not suffer” after an accused in the Mundra drug haul case submitted that his children were bullied in school following news reports of allegations levelled by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the apex court that proceeds of crime were funnelled to the Lashkar-e-Taiba to finance terror attacks like in Pahalgam.
Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, senior advocate Aryama Sundaram and advocate Rohini Musa, appearing for accused Harpreet Singh Talwar, said the NIA counsel alleged the link while opposing a plea for bail on Wednesday (April 23, 2025).
“I had to bring my children back from school after they were bullied and called ‘terrorist’s children’. What was the basis for making such a statement in a case of bail in a NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act case… It is in all the newspapers,” Mr. Sundaram protested on behalf of Talwar in an oral mentioning.
“No family member of any person should suffer,” Justice Kant said.
The judge said he spared himself from reading such news reports. “I stay away from these kinds of news. I am not influenced by extraneous reasons. These may be perceptions, which may be right or wrong. We never rely on these things,” Justice Kant commented.
“The children are getting threat calls because of such statements made in court… Pahalgam was suddenly mentioned. At least they must clarify this case has nothing to do with that and is a NDPS case, pure and simple,” he urged.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, said “investigations had revealed that proceeds of this money had gone to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. That is what the newspaper report also says”.
Mr. Sundaram objected strongly to the submission, saying there was not a shred of evidence to back the claim. “He is reiterating it now. Please show a scrap of paper which says it. Even statements in court or affidavits do not say it,” he responded.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, who had appeared for the NIA, assured that the police would protect the children from harm in case of threats.
Talwar ran popular clubs in the national capital and was arrested by the agency in August 2022, in what is termed as the biggest drug haul in the country.
On September 12, 2021, some containers arrived at Mundra Port from Afghanistan via Iran, filled with bags full of semi-processed talc stones.
Based on intelligence inputs, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence checked the containers on September 13, 2021 and some of the bags were found to contain heroin, eventually leading to the recovery of 2,988.21 kilograms of heroin worth ₹21,000 crore.
Investigators later found that it was the sixth and last consignment which was intercepted.
Published – April 24, 2025 08:20 pm IST