New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday sought separatist leader Yasin Malik’s response to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) plea seeking the death penalty for him in a terror funding case.
A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur granted Malik four weeks to file his reply and scheduled the hearing for November 10. Malik, lodged in Tihar Jail and serving a life sentence, was to appear virtually but was not produced.
The court noted that Malik had neither been produced virtually nor filed his reply as directed in its August 9, 2024 order, which mandated virtual production instead of physical appearance due to security concerns. The bench again directed jail authorities to ensure his virtual presence on November 10.
Malik, chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), had earlier rejected the court’s suggestion to appoint a lawyer, insisting on arguing in person. On May 29, 2023, the High Court issued notice to him on the NIA’s plea for a death sentence. Jail authorities later sought—and were granted—permission for his virtual appearance, citing that he is a “very high-risk prisoner” whose physical production could endanger public safety.
Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court on May 24, 2022, after pleading guilty to charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the IPC. The NIA, challenging the sentence, argued that terrorists should not escape the death penalty merely by pleading guilty, warning that it would erode sentencing policy.
While denying the NIA’s plea for capital punishment, the trial court had remarked that Malik’s actions struck at the “heart of the idea of India” and aimed to forcibly secede Jammu and Kashmir from the Union.
