Srinagar, Oct 16 (KNS): In a significant legal development, the Chief Judicial Magistrate Baramulla at Sopore has issued a proclamation against Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin whose given name is Mohammad Yousuf Shah, declaring him an absconder in connection with a 2012 case registered at Police Station Dangiwacha under Sections 153-B and 506 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).
The order, issued by Chief Judicial Magistrate Mir Wajahat on October 8, 2025, came after the court found that Salahuddin has been “deliberately concealing himself to evade arrest and the process of law.”
According to the court record, the charge sheet in FIR No. 67 of 2012 was presented on December 5, 2023, but the accused failed to appear despite repeated summons and the issuance of a general warrant of arrest. The warrant, transmitted through the concerned police, was returned unexecuted, accompanied by a report that Salahuddin had absconded and remained untraceable.
After reviewing the material, the court recorded its satisfaction that the accused “is intentionally evading arrest” and that “reasonable grounds exist to believe he is keeping himself away from the process of law.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel” The magistrate observed that the proclamation proceedings were procedural measures intended to compel the presence of an absconding accused, not punitive in nature.
The court has accordingly directed the issuance of a proclamation under Section 87 of the Criminal Procedure Code (now Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023), requiring Salahuddin to appear before the court within 30 days from the date of publication.
The order further mandates that the proclamation be Publicly read in a conspicuous place in Salahuddin’s native village of Soibugh in Budgam district, affixed to a visible part of his residence and the CJM Court building at Sopore, and Published in a local daily newspaper with circulation in the area.
The Station House Officer, Dangiwacha, has been directed to execute the proclamation, document the process, and submit a compliance report before the next hearing.
The court also cautioned that failure to appear within the stipulated period would invite further legal action under Section 83 of the Cr.P.C (now Section 85 BNSS), including declaration as a proclaimed offender and attachment of property.(KNS)