Narcotics-terrorist funding case: High Court rejects bail plea of ​​accused

April 7, 2026

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to grant bail to Satpal Singh, an accused in the drug-terror funding case. The court, keeping in view the gravity of the charges and the prima facie evidence available, clarified that the case was not an ordinary crime but a cross-border conspiracy.

A division bench of Justice Anoop Chitkara and Justice Sukhwinder Kaur dismissed the appeal challenging the trial court’s decision, saying that the charges against the accused are very serious.

The court said in its order that Satpal Singh used to take money from people involved in anti-national activities through hawala and then give it to other associates. The court also said that the accused had links with members of the banned organization Khalistan Liberation Force, which makes the matter more serious.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the case, claims that Satpal Singh played a key role in transferring the money received from drug trafficking to activists based in India and abroad through the hawala network.

While seeking bail, the defence argued that the accused has been in custody for the past six years and the pace of the trial is slow with only 24 out of 92 witnesses examined.

But the court said that bail cannot be granted at this stage on the basis of delay alone, especially when the charges are related to national security.