The Supreme Court on Monday granted regular bail to Alemla Jamir, an accused linked to the NSCN-IM, noting her prolonged incarceration of over six years and the progress made in the trial.
A Bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice N Kotiswar Singh allowed her appeal against the Delhi High Court order that had earlier rejected her bail plea under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Granting bail, the Bench observed, “Leave granted. Many of the witnesses have already been examined, and the appellant has been in incarceration for over six years. We also take note of the fact that the appellant herein is a lady. Taking all of the above into consideration, we are inclined to grant bail.”
According to a Law Beat report, Sibal argued that the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) case was “manufactured and false”, and that prolonged detention without conclusion of trial was unjustified. During the hearing, ASG Bhati pointed out Jamir’s profile, stating that she was a senior functionary of the organisation.
Responding to this, Justice Sundresh remarked that the Court had taken note of the circumstances, including the fact that her husband was absconding, and observed that she could not be made to suffer indefinitely.
The ASG further submitted that Jamir herself was the Vice President of the outfit and that six witnesses had already been examined in the case.
Jamir was arrested in 2019 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after being allegedly found carrying Rs 72 lakh in cash. The NIA claimed the funds were meant to support the activities of NSCN-IM. She was charged under multiple provisions of the UAPA, the Indian Penal Code, and the Arms Act.
The Delhi High Court had earlier denied bail, citing her influential status and the risk of witness tampering.
The High Court had also noted that the chargesheet disclosed a prima facie case of terror funding and criminal conspiracy against her, a UNI report said.
Jamir has maintained that NSCN-IM is not a banned organization, referring to the 1997 Ceasefire Agreement and the 2015 Framework Agreement with the Government of India. The Supreme Court granted bail subject to conditions to be imposed by the trial court.
She asserted that her prosecution was politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence. The Supreme Court had issued notice in July 2025 on Jamir’s Special Leave Petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s order.
With today’s ruling, according to Law Beat, the top court granted her long-awaited relief, emphasizing that continued incarceration without conclusion of trial would be unjust. (With inputs from Law Beat, UNI)
