June 10, 2026
The Delhi High Court granted Khurram Parvez bail in the 2021 NIA case after nearly four and a half years in custody. The Court cited his prolonged incarceration, the slow pace of the trial, the absence of any realistic prospect of an early conclusion, and the untested nature of key evidence. It clarified that it was not commenting on the merits of the case and imposed stringent bail conditions. Parvez nevertheless remains in custody in connection with a separate NIA case registered in 2020.
May 8, 2026
In December 2024, the Delhi High Court reserved judgment on Khurram Parvez's bail appeal. Parvez argued that his detention of over four years without substantial trial progress violated his right to personal liberty, while the NIA opposed bail citing the seriousness of the UAPA charges and his alleged links to Pakistan-based operatives.
April 17, 2025
The Supreme Court upheld the Delhi High Court's refusal of bail to co-accused Zafar Abbas, another accused charged under the UAPA in the same investigation. During Khurram Parvez's bail proceedings, the NIA relied on this decision to argue against parity, while Parvez's counsel responded that the allegations against him were materially different and that parity could not be assessed mechanically.
July 15, 2025
The NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet relying on the statement of co-accused Muneer Ahmad Kataria, who had turned approver. Kataria alleged that Parvez connected him with a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and facilitated communication within the alleged conspiracy. Parvez denied the allegations and argued that the prosecution case rested heavily on the untested testimony of an approver who had not been cross-examined.
July 2, 2025
The Special NIA Court granted approver status to co-accused Muneer Ahmad Kataria. Kataria, who claimed to be an NIA informer, provided a statement alleging that Khurram Parvez had introduced him to a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) handler.
December 24, 2024
Before the Delhi High Court, Parvez denied any links to terrorist organisations and argued that the NIA had produced no evidence of communication with LeT operatives or recruitment activity. He maintained that the material relied upon by the agency largely comprised publicly available human-rights documentation.
December 13 - 17, 2024
The Special NIA Court rejected Parvez's application for regular bail, holding that the material placed on record disclosed a prima facie case under the UAPA. While the NIA relied on witness statements, digital evidence, travel records, and documents allegedly linking him to a wider conspiracy, the defence argued that the case effectively criminalised human-rights advocacy and lawful international engagement. The court concluded that the bar under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA applied and declined to grant bail.
November 21, 2023
Nearly fifty human rights organisations jointly called for the immediate release of Kashmiri activists Khurram Parvez and Irfan Meraj and urged that all charges, including UAPA, against them be withdrawn.
October 31, 2023
UN experts renewed their criticism of the UAPA, flagging the pre-trial detention window of 180 days—extendable beyond that—as disproportionate, and urged India to bring the law into conformity with international human rights norms and FATF recommendations.
September 16, 2023
The NIA filed a chargesheet against Khurram Parvez and journalist Irfan Mehraj in the RC-37/2020 case, invoking charges of criminal conspiracy, sedition, and multiple provisions of the UAPA. The agency alleged that JKCCS and associated individuals supported activities linked to secessionist and militant networks.
August 21, 2023
The cases of both Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj were included in the UN Secretary-General's report on reprisals against human rights defenders who had engaged with UN bodies.
August 9, 2023
A formal communication addressed to the Indian government — jointly authored by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and other UN experts — was made public.
June 13, 2023
A Delhi court extended Parvez’s custody for another 45 days after the NIA requested more time to complete the investigation. The extension formed part of the ongoing investigation in the RC-37/2020 case and was opposed by the defence as an unnecessary prolongation of detention.
June 5, 2023
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concludes that Parvez’s detention is arbitrary under international law and calls for his immediate release and compensation.
April 26, 2023
The NIA conducted a search at the office of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) in the Dandoosa area of the central Kashmir district.
March 22, 2023
While already in custody in the November 2021 NIA case, Khurram Parvez was formally arrested in the separate RC-37/2020 NIA investigation and produced before the Special NIA Court alongside journalist Irfan Mehraj. The court granted 10 days of NIA custody for interrogation and examination of digital evidence and the allegations under investigation.
March 20, 2023
Kashmiri human rights defender and journalist Irfan Mehraj is arrested by the NIA in connection with the 2020 case. The NIA publicly framed the arrest as part of an "NGO Terror Funding Case", identifying Mehraj as a close associate of Khurram Parvez and a member of JKCCS.
March 13, 2023
Khurram Parvez was subjected to NIA interrogation for two consecutive days at Rohini High Security Prison in New Delhi.
January 19, 2023
Parvez received the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, one of the world's most prominent human rights awards. The award recognises his long-standing documentation of human rights violations in Kashmir.
November 22, 2022
UN experts issued a statement warning that Khurram Parvez's prolonged arrest and detention were casting a chilling effect on civil society, rights defenders, and journalists across the region. They renewed their demand that the Indian government release him immediately and unconditionally.
November 21, 2022
On the first anniversary of his arrest, twelve NGOs called for his immediate and unconditional release and denounced his continued detention without trial.
November 16, 2022
The UN Secretary-General's report on reprisals against human rights defenders — specifically those who cooperate or have cooperated with the UN — included Khurram's case among its findings.
July 6, 2022
The NIA Special Court begins substantive proceedings following the filing of the chargesheet in the 2021 case.
June 21, 2022
A resolution condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India was introduced in the US Congress House of Representatives, highlighting the cases of Khurram Parvez and Father Stan Swamy.
May 13, 2022
The NIA filed a chargesheet accusing Khurram Parvez of involvement in a Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked conspiracy under the IPC, UAPA, and Prevention of Corruption Act. Parvez denied the allegations, arguing that lawful human-rights work and advocacy had been wrongly portrayed as terrorist activity.
March 27, 2022
The NIA conducts another search of Parvez’s Srinagar residence as part of ongoing investigations into alleged funding networks.
March 24, 2022
An NIA court extended his judicial custody by 50 days.
February 12, 2022
The court had extended his custody by a further 40 days.
January 24, 2022
Judicial custody extended for 40 days. His family was barred from meeting him as a result of the rise in COVID-19 cases.
December 25, 2021
Judicial custody extended for 30 days until 21 January 2022.
December 4, 2021
After being held in NIA custody in New Delhi for 12 days, Parvez appeared before the NIA Special Court in New Delhi, where Judge Parveen Singh extended his detention for another 20 days and subsequently ordered him to be lodged in Tihar Jail as the NIA had asked the court for more time, arguing that the investigation was still ongoing.
December 2, 2021
UN human rights experts voiced concerns over the detention of Khurram Parvez under the stringent UAPA anti-terror law and urged Indian authorities to free him immediately.
November 30, 2021
Appeared at the NIA court.
November 24, 2021
Parvez is transported from Srinagar to New Delhi by the NIA for interrogation and proceedings before the Special NIA Court.
November 22, 2021
The National Investigation Agency raids Parvez’s residence and the offices of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) in Srinagar. Electronic devices and documents are seized. Later the same day, Parvez is arrested in connection with FIR RC-30/2021/NIA/DLI, which alleges terror financing, conspiracy, recruitment, and support for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
October 28, 2020
Following the registration of FIR RC-37/2020/NIA/DLI, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted coordinated searches across Jammu and Kashmir targeting journalists, civil society organisations, NGOs, and human rights defenders, including Khurram Parvez.
October 8, 2020
FIR RC-37/2020/NIA/DLI was registered after the NIA claimed to have received information alleging that certain NGOs, trusts, and societies were raising funds through donations and other contributions in the name of charitable and welfare activities, and that these funds were being diverted to support secessionist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
