On January 13, a division bench of the Delhi High Court led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Neena Bansal Krishna sought the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) response to a bail petition filed by an accused who has been imprisoned for more than nine years in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, citing a delay in trial.

Manzer Imam, an alleged Indian Mujahideen operative, was arrested in August 2013 in a case filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleging that he and others conspired to commit terrorist acts and planned to target prominent locations in the country.

The charges in the case have yet to be filed.

A division bench issued notice on Imam's petition while scheduling a hearing in March. Aside from the delay defence, the plea also seeks bail on the merits of the case.

On November 28, a special court denied Imam bail. In October of last year, a single judge requested that the special court hear and rule on his bail application within 75 days.

Imam's appeal has been filed through Advocate Kartik Purushottama Murukutla.

Sections 17, 18, 18B, and 20 of the UAPA, as well as Sections 121A and 123 of the Indian Penal Code, are cited in the FIR in which Imam is named as an accused.

In 2021, Imam moved the High Court for a day-to-day hearing in his case before the trial court, claiming that accused persons in NIA cases have been imprisoned for years due to trial delays.a

Title: MANZER IMAM v. NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY