NEW DELHI: An Indian court here on Friday accepted framing of terrorcharges against Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin and seven Kashmiriseparatist leaders, accused of sponsoring and stoking terror in Jammu andKashmir.

After taking cognisance of a NIA charge sheet, Judge Tarun Sahrawatdirected the probe agency to supply the copies of the charge sheet to theaccused.

The court listed the matter for a March 8 hearing.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on January 18 filed charges understringent anti-terror laws against the jailed separatist leaders forallegedly conspiring with Saeed and Salahuddin to wage war against Indiaand secede Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA also charged businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali and two alleged stonepelters — Kamran and Javed Ahmed Bhat.

Bhat of Kulgam district with Kamran of Pulwama district in Jammu andKashmir were arrested on September 5 last year while Watali was arrested onAugust 17.

The separatists, who were arrested on July 24, 2017, are Aftab Hilali aliasShahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate,Nayeem Khan, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Bashir AhmadBhat alias Peer Saifullah.

Altaf Ahmad Shah is the son-in-law of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed AliShah Geelani, who advocates Jammu and Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan. Islamis a close aide of moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, andKhandey is the spokesperson for the Geelani-led Hurriyat.