RANCHI, India, Jan. 13 -- Jharkhand High Court issued the following order on Dec. 13:

1. The instant appeal preferred under Section 21 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 is directed against the order dated 31.07.2025 passed in Misc. Cr. Application No. 724 of 2025 in connection with RC-02/2023/NIA/RNC, arising out of Special (NIA) Case No.02 of 2023, registered for the offence under Sections 120B, 153A and 505 of the I.P.C. and Sections 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, whereby and whereunder, the learned court has rejected the petition which has been filed for declaring the appellant juvenile under the Juvenile Justice Act.

Prosecution Case and Factual Matrix

2. The brief facts of the prosecution case as per the FIR and charge-sheet that the Central Government received reliable information that one Faizan Ansari @ Faiz (A-1) (petitioner), resident of Millat Colony near Madarsa, District Lohardaga, Jharkhand, who resides in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, is a member of ISIS and involved in unlawful activities in association with ISIS operatives based in India and abroad. He, along with his associates, was propagating the ideologies of ISIS through various social media platforms with an ultimate objective of carrying out violent terror attacks in India. Faizan Ansari (A-1) had created and administered multiple ISIS aligned Cyber groups on Telegram and Instagram platforms for disseminating terrorist propaganda materials, including ISIS ventures "Voice of Hind" and "Voice of Khorasan" magazine in order to influence and recruit impressionable youth for carrying out violent attacks in India. Apart from dissemination of inflammatory and radicalizing material, it is also suspected that he had himself created or edited some of these propaganda materials.

3. As part of this (ISIS) network, Faizan Ansari (A-1) was also in the process of radicalizing neo-converts and attracting them to the terrorist fold for enriching the cadre base of ISIS in India. He had adopted stealthy Cyber security measures, including usage of virtual numbers, "VPNs and TOR" browsers for communicating with his associates evading law enforcement agencies. He was also in contact with foreign based ISIS handlers, who were guiding him in recruitment of radical terror operatives and carrying out violent attacks. He was contemplating doing "Hijrat" (migration) to a foreign based ISIS conflict after completion of his tasks in India and these activities attract Sections 120B, 153A, & 505 of IPC and Sections 18, 20, 38 & 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

4. Thereafter, the Central Government, in exercise of powers conferred under sub-section 5 of Section 6 read with Section 8 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take up investigation of the aforesaid case. Thereafter, the instant case was registered by the NIA, Ranchi and started investigation. During the investigation, the NIA arrested Faizan Ansari @ Faiz (A-1) on 20.07.2023 and submitted charge sheet against him and thereafter submitted 1st supplementary charge sheet against co-accused, Omer Bahadur @ Rahul Sen (A-2) who was arrested on 14.09.2023 for the offence under Section 120B of the IPC, Section 120B of the IPC read with Section 295A of the IPC and Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 & 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 and accordingly, cognizance of the said offences was taken by the court and after framing of charge of the above offences, trial commenced. 5. During the trial, the prosecution has examined 31 witnesses and some other witnesses are yet to be examined. In the meantime, the above-named appellant had preferred an application being Misc. Cr. Application No. 724 of 2025 before Special Judge NIA, Ranchi to declare him as juvenile.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=A9S7c5LDIsB6RXaCf816x%2FYwRF4wojGEAWIMAiiEBYQq7qQPOpjFD30PrOoH3UWu&caseno=Cr.A(DB)/1156/2025&cCode=1&cino=JHHC010306682025&state_code=7&appFlag=)

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.