NIA To Seek Proclaimed Offender Status For Hafiz Saeed, Pursue In-Absentia Trial | Exclusive
NIA To Seek Proclaimed Offender Status For Hafiz Saeed, Pursue In-Absentia Trial | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: July 13, 2026, 11:54 IST The agency
NIA To Seek Proclaimed Offender Status For Hafiz Saeed, Pursue In-Absentia Trial | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: July 13, 2026, 11:54 IST The agency plans to use provisions under the BNSS to build a court-backed case against the LeT chief and eventually seek his conviction in his absence, top sources told CNN-News18. Rapid Read File photo of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed (Image: PTI/File) In an unprecedented move, the Investigation Agency (NIA) is preparing to seek the conviction of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed in absentia after filing a chargesheet against him in the Pahalgam case, top NIA sources told CNN-News18. The agency plans to initiate proceedings to have Saeed declared a proclaimed offender, a step that sources described as crucial to eventually putting him on trial despite his absence from an Indian court. According to the sources, the NIA is treating the chargesheet as a test case for provisions introduced under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which allow proceedings against certain accused persons who deliberately evade the judicial process. NIA To Seek Non-Bailable Warrants The NIA will first approach the Special Court for non-bailable warrants against Saeed. It will then seek a proclamation requiring him to appear before the court. Sources said Saeed was unlikely to comply with the court’s directions.
His failure to appear would, however, allow the agency to argue that he was wilfully evading Indian justice and move ahead with the process of declaring him a proclaimed offender. The agency is intentionally seeking to build what sources described as an airtight judicial record before pushing for an in-absentia trial. According to the sources, the objective is to ensure that every procedural requirement, including the issuing and serving of warrants and summons, is formally documented so that any eventual conviction is difficult to challenge internationally. Court Order To Be Sent To Pakistan Once the court issues a proclamation, the NIA plans to route it through the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. It will then be formally conveyed to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, creating a documented cross-border record of India’s attempt to secure Saeed’s appearance before the court. Sources said the proclamation and Pakistan’s response, or lack of one, would also be added to the material linked to Saeed’s active Interpol Red Corner Notice. The agency also plans to serve formal court summons and send Letters Rogatory to Pakistan. Sources said any failure by Islamabad to act on these requests would be placed on record as evidence of continued non-compliance.
The BriefWire