A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to US national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, who was arrested in March in a case involving an alleged terror conspiracy and links with ethnic armed groups, after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not invoke provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in its chargesheet.
Special Judge Prashant Sharma granted bail to Van Dyke on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh and a surety of the same amount, according to court sources. The court also directed him not to leave Delhi.
The development came a day after the court had issued notice to the NIA on Van Dyke's bail plea and sought its response by September 18.
Earlier this month, the NIA filed a chargesheet against Van Dyke and six Ukrainian nationals for alleged illegal entry, stay and movement in India. The agency invoked Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, but did not include UAPA provisions in the chargesheet.
The NIA said in its filing that “more time is required to ascertain and verify the true and complete facts about the commission of offences under the UAPA”.
The agency had initially registered the case under the UAPA and told the court that it was probing a wider alleged terror conspiracy involving assistance to ethnic armed groups operating in India and Myanmar, as well as the provision of drone training to members of such groups.
The NIA has maintained that the broader UAPA investigation remains open despite the absence of UAPA charges in the latest chargesheet, leaving open the possibility of further investigation and additional charges.
Van Dyke and the six Ukrainian nationals were arrested by the NIA in March 2026 in connection with the case.
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