Now Reading: Delhi court grants default bail to 6 Ukrainians in NIA drone case
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Delhi court grants default bail to 6 Ukrainians in NIA drone case
A Delhi court has granted default bail to six Ukrainian nationals arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in March over allegations they trained ethnic armed groups in Myanmar in drone warfare.…
A Delhi court has granted default bail to six Ukrainian nationals arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in March over allegations they trained ethnic armed groups in Myanmar in drone warfare. Special Judge Prashant Sharma ordered the release on a cash bond of Rs 1 lakh each after the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) compounded immigration offences against them for a fine of Rs 5.5 lakh each.
The court discharged the six under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. The NIA's chargesheet filed on September 8 only charged them with immigration violations, leaving out the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) under which they were originally arrested. The court called the chargesheet 'piecemeal' and said the accused were entitled to default bail as the NIA had not completed its UAPA investigation within the 180-day limit. The NIA says it needs more time to probe the import of drones and material from digital devices.
The court also modified bail conditions for US national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, allowing him a cash bond instead of a surety. The court later allowed all seven to travel back to the US and Ukraine, directing them to inform the NIA of their overseas address and contact within 24 hours and to book tickets within 30 days.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All three sources report the same factual sequence: default bail for the six Ukrainians, the 'piecemeal' chargesheet, and the NIA's ongoing UAPA probe. No outlet presents the government account critically or favourably, each treats the court's finding as a procedural fact. Hindustan Times adds the detail that the court found the NIA could not 'circumvent default bail by filing an incomplete chargesheet', which frames the agency's approach as legally dubious. Rediff carries the same fact without that edge. The uniform coverage reflects a court-driven story where the judge's language, not the agency's, sets the tone. The next concrete event is the NIA's decision on whether to file a supplementary UAPA chargesheet.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): rediff.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (2) (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
