Zakir Naik’s IRF manager Arshi Qureshi acquitted
Defence lawyers said that the prosecutor did not have any evidence to prove that Qureshi had misled the youth or that they had joined IS.
Mumbai: Arshi Qureshi, the manager of Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has been acquitted by the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Friday. He was arrested in 2016 on charges of radicalising youngsters into joining IS.
Due to lack of cogent evidence, Special NIA judge AM Patil acquitted Qureshi.
Mohammad Haneef and Rizwan Khan were also arrested along with Arshi Qureshi however NIA did not eventually file formal charges against both of them for want of evidence to prosecute them.
But the case was booked against Arshi Qureshi and a charge sheet was filed alleging that he conducted the meetings to radicalise young people who left India to join IS at IRF’s Dongri centre.
However, defence lawyers said that the prosecutor did not have any evidence to prove that Qureshi had misled the youth or that they had joined IS.
Qureshi will be released from jail after completion of procedure.
