Court declines CBI plea for judicial custody of Shangloo in 1989 kidnapping case: lawyer

A special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) court on Tuesday (December 2, 2025) rejected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea for judicial custody of Shafat Ahmed Shangloo, who was arrested on Monday on the charges of being involved in the 1989 kidnapping of former Union Home Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s daughter.   

“The court heard the CBI plea, where he was arrested as an accused. However, no evidence was provided in the chargesheet against the accused. The court decided against granting his judicial custody,” Mr. Shangloo’s lawyer said in Jammu.

Mr. Shangloo termed the court decision as the “victory of truth”, saying, “The court has done justice. I have been set free.”

Cold case

The CBI, which arrested Mr. Shangloo from Srinagar on Monday, said he was an absconder wanted in the 35-year-old kidnapping case of Rubaiya Sayeed, who was a 23-year old medical intern and daughter of the then-Home Minister.

“The accused conspired with Yasin Malik (chairman of J&K Liberation Front) and others in committing a crime under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code and Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) Act during the year 1989,” the CBI had said, in a statement, adding that the absconder carried a reward of ₹10 lakh on his head.

The 1989 kidnapping case, which was in cold storage for almost three decades, was re-opened in January 2021 when a TADA court ordered the framing of charges against the JKLF chief and nine others. 

Ms. Sayeed was kidnapped on the evening of December 8, 1989, and held hostage till December 13 that year. She was released in exchange for five known militants of the JKLF, including Hamid Sheikh, Altaf Ahmed Bhat, Noor Mohammadd Kalwal, Javed Ahmed Zarger, and Sher Khan.