Delhi court grants default bail to US national Matthew Van Dyke

A Delhi court on Friday granted default bail to US national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke in an NIA-probed terror-conspiracy case. The agency has charged him and six Ukrainian citizens under the Immigration and Foreigners Act while continuing its probe into alleged UAPA offences

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday granted default bail to US national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, who was arrested in a terror-conspiracy case being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

According to court sources, Special Judge Prashant Sharma granted bail to Van Dyke on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety in the like amount. The court directed him not to leave Delhi.

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The court had issued a notice to the NIA on Thursday on Van Dyke’s bail plea.

Earlier this month, the agency filed a chargesheet against Van Dyke and six Ukrainian citizens for alleged illegal entry, stay and movement in India, but did not invoke the anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The NIA chargesheet accused the seven of offences under Sections 21, which prescribes the penalty for entry into India without a valid passport or other travel documents, and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act. It said, “More time is required to ascertain and verify the true and complete facts about the commission of offences under the UAPA.”

The NIA had told the court that the accused were being probed for a wide-ranging terror conspiracy, including assistance to ethnic armed groups in India and Myanmar and imparting drone training to them.