Srinagar, Oct 16 (KDC): The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Sopore has issued a proclamation order against Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, declaring him an absconder in a 2012 case registered under Sections 153-B (promoting enmity between groups) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).
The order, passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate Mir Wajahat, as per Kashmir Dot Com, came in response to an application filed by the Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Dangiwacha through the Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP), seeking issuance of a proclamation under Section 87 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), corresponding to Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
According to the court record, the chargesheet in FIR No. 67/2012 was presented before the court on December 5, 2023, in the absence of the accused. Despite the issuance of process and a general warrant of arrest, Salahuddin, identified in the document as Mohammad Yousuf Shah alias Syed Salah-ud-Din, son of Ghulam Rasool Shah, resident of Soibugh, Budgam, remained untraceable and has been evading arrest.
The executing officer submitted a detailed report to the court confirming that the accused has absconded and is deliberately concealing himself to avoid execution of the warrant and appearance before the court.
After examining the report and case file, the court observed that there are reasonable grounds to believe the accused is intentionally evading the process of law. The CJM noted that the “statutory preconditions for issuance of a proclamation have been satisfied,” and emphasized that such proceedings are procedural measures to compel an absconding accused to appear, not punitive actions.
Consequently, the court issued a proclamation against Syed Salahuddin, directing him to appear before the Court within 30 days from the date of publication of the proclamation.
The SHO of Police Station Dangiwacha has been directed to ensure proper execution of the proclamation, obtain certification of publication, and submit a compliance report to the court before the next date of hearing.
The order also warns that if Salahuddin fails to appear within the stipulated period, further proceedings under Section 83 CrPC (now Section 85 BNSS) will be initiated for declaring him a Proclaimed Offender and attachment of his property as per law.
Syed Salahuddin, whose real name is Mohammad Yousuf Shah, hails from Soibugh village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. He was once a candidate of the Muslim United Front (MUF) in the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, contesting from the Amirakadal constituency.
After the controversial polls, which were widely alleged to have been rigged, Shah reportedly crossed over to Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK), where he adopted the nom de guerre Syed Salahuddin and became the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, one of the oldest militant outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
Salahuddin later rose to head the United Jihad Council (UJC), an umbrella organization of several militant groups based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, coordinating anti-India militant activities in the region.
In 2017, the United States designated him as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” for his role in directing and supporting Hizbul Mujahideen’s terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. He has been living in Pakistan for several decades and continues to issue statements and threats against India through various media outlets. (KDC)
