MUMBAI: A special court hearing cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has granted the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) an additional 45 days to file its charge sheet against 21-year-old engineering student Ayan Shaikh, arrested in March over his alleged links to banned outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Islamic State through Telegram groups.ATS gets 45 more days to file charge sheet against engineering studentSpecial judge Chakor S Baviskar partly allowed the ATS plea seeking an extension to file the charge sheet beyond the statutory 90-day period, observing that the probe involved “huge digital data”, pending forensic analysis and a “foreign nexus”.Shaikh, a computer science engineering student from Mumbai, was arrested by the ATS in March following raids in Kurla, Govandi and Shivaji Nagar, after intelligence inputs regarding alleged online radicalisation activity. Investigators claimed they recovered electronic devices, including a laptop and mobile phone, from him that contained extremist propaganda material, including audio and video clips linked to JeM founder Masood Azhar.According to the ATS, Shaikh had allegedly been active for six to seven months on encrypted Telegram channels where users from different countries discussed what participants described as “injustices against Muslims”, conflicts in Kashmir and Palestine, and alleged persecution of Muslim communities globally. Investigators claimed that some participants were suspected JeM-linked operatives using anonymous identities and that the channels gradually exposed members to extremist narratives.The ATS has alleged that the Telegram ecosystem functioned as a radicalisation pipeline in which users consumed propaganda in “small and gradual portions” before participating more actively in discussions and content sharing. Shaikh allegedly shared some material privately with friends and had joined channels where retaliatory violence and “protection” of the Muslim community were discussed.The prosecution also informed the court that reports from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory were still awaited and that the sanction process under the UAPA would begin thereafter.In its order passed on Tuesday, the court extended the ATS’s deadline to file its charge sheet by 45 days from June 2, noting that the offences alleged against Shaikh are “quite serious”.Considering section 43(d)(2)(b) of the UAPA, an extension of another 90 days “can be granted considering the magnitude of the investigation”, it said. The aforementioned section empowers the court to extend the police detention and investigation period from the standard 90 days to 180 days.“In this case, the investigation is in progress. Huge digital data is to be collected and analysed. Even all possible evidence is to be gathered and collected,” the court said.“...considering all the facts and circumstances, particularly some foreign nexus and wide magnitudes of investigation, in my opinion, the investigating agency deserves extension of time to file [the] final report,” it added.