Jammu, Aug. 22 -- The high court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh dismissed the bail plea of Syed Iftikhar Andrabi, 53, of Handwara in Kupwara district in a high-profile narco-terrorism case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A division bench comprising justice Sanjeev Kumar and Sanjay Parihar upheld the order of the Special NIA Court, Jammu, which had earlier rejected Andrabi's bail application in connection with the case registered under the NDPS Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC. The appellant was represented by advocate Warisha Farasat and her team. She contended that Andrabi, a political activist, had been falsely implicated after his release from preventive detention in 2019 and has already undergone nearly five years in custody. The defence argued that there was no direct evidence against him and sought parity with co-accused who were granted bail. On the other hand, the NIA, represented by Vishal Sharma, deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI), assisted by Chandan Kumar Singh, special public prosecutor (NIA), opposed the bail plea, asserting that Andrabi had direct links with Pakistan-based handlers of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen and was part of a cross-border syndicate engaged in drug trafficking and terror financing. The division bench observed that on the disclosure of the appellant, 3.2 kg of heroin and cash amounting to more than Rs.35 lakh were recovered. "His mobile phone data suggested his communication with operatives across the border," observed the DB. While acknowledging that Andrabi had spent almost five years in custody, the court held that the seriousness of charges and evidence on record outweighed his plea for bail. The division bench ruled that the trial was at an early stage and premature to conclude that the accusations were baseless. "The material laid by prosecution prima facie shows complicity of the appellant in narco-terror activities," the court said and dismissed the appeal....