Pahalgam Terror Attack: NIA Court To Summon Lashkar Founder Hafiz Saeed For Trial - VIDEO

New Delhi: A special National Investigation Agency court is set to issue summons to Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, who has been named an accused in the Pahalgam terror attack case.

The summons directing Hafiz Saeed to appear before the special NIA court in Jammu for trial will be sent through the Ministry of External Affairs. The court has already issued a non-bailable warrant against Saeed. The NIA has alleged that he was among the masterminds behind the April 2025 attack, which claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local resident.

If Saeed fails to appear after all legal procedures are completed, the court may proceed with his trial in absentia under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

The provision allows the court to conduct an inquiry or trial and deliver its judgment against a proclaimed offender who has absconded to avoid legal proceedings and is unlikely to be arrested in the near future.

Before starting a trial in absentia, the court must fulfil certain procedural requirements, including issuing two successive arrest warrants and publishing a notice requiring the proclaimed offender to appear before the court.

The trial in absentia can begin only after 90 days have elapsed from the framing of charges. If the accused is unrepresented, the state must appoint an advocate to defend him.

The NIA named Saeed as an accused in a supplementary chargesheet filed in July, indicting him both in his individual capacity and as the chief of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF).

Saeed has been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, with charges including waging war against India and plotting the attack from Pakistan.