Investigation into terror charges is going on and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not dropped any terror charges against American national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, sources said today, responding to reports that alluded to VanDyke dodging the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Investigation into offences under the UAPA is continuing against American national Matthew Aaron VanDyke and six others, sources said
VanDyke has been in custody for illegally entering India to go to Myanmar for training ethnic insurgents in drone warfare and other kinds of warfighting. If the chargesheet is not filed within this period, the accused can apply for bail. Because the charges under this law have already been established during the investigation, sources said, the only difference now is that the NIA filed a chargesheet under the Immigration and Foreigners Act (IFA).
Explaining the technicalities of the matter, sources said VanDyke and six Ukrainians were charged under Section 18 of the UAPA after they were arrested in March. Under the UAPA framework, the investigating agency can have up to 180 days to complete the probe while an accused remains in custody. In the VanDyke case, the statutory period of 180 days of judicial custody would end on September 8.
In fact, investigation into offences under the UAPA is continuing against all seven of them, sources said. However, with offences under the Immigration and Foreigners Act already established, the NIA filed a chargesheet for those offences rather than allow the statutory period to end, sources said.
