Mohali, April 11 -- An NIA special court in Mohali has dismissed the second bail application of Rajanpreet Singh, 36, an accused in the December 2021 Ludhiana district court bomb blast that killed one person and injured five others. Special judge Dinesh Kumar Wadhwa rejected the plea filed under Section 483 of the BNSS, noting that there was no substantial change in circumstance since the earlier rejection of his bail plea. The court observed that the case fell under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act), where bail can be granted only if no prima facie case existed, a condition the court held was not satisfied. The court emphasised that Section 43D (5) of the UAPA created an embargo on granting bail when material indicated involvement in the offence. The NIA has accused Rajanpreet of being part of a terror network linked to Pakistan-based arms smuggler Zulfikar alias Pehalwan, and of assisting co-accused Surmukh Singh and others in transporting narcotics and IED. According to the agency, Rajanpreet and co-accused Dilbagh Singh allegedly collected cross-border drone consignments and helped deliver the IED used in the blast to dismissed head constable Gagandeep Singh, who died while handling the device inside the court complex. The court also noted that Rajanpreet's first bail plea was dismissed in January 2025 and his subsequent appeal before the Punjab and Haryana high court met the same fate in March this year. His claim that the trial had been delayed, the court said, could not override the restrictions on bail under UAPA, citing the Supreme Court's ruling that "mere delay in trial" in such grave offences was not a ground for release. Holding that the accused may flee, influence witnesses or tamper with evidence if released, the court concluded that he was not entitled to bail. The application was dismissed. On April 2, the same court had rejected the second regular bail application of Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Malaysia, the alleged conspirator of the blast. The NIA says he acted as a key facilitator between Pakistan-based handlers and an Indian module. htc...