Terror Funding Case: Yasin Malik Appears Through VC Before Delhi High Court In NIA’s Appeal Seeking Death Penalty

Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, convicted in a terror funding case, appeared before the Delhi High Court on Wednesday via video conferencing from Tihar Jail, in an appeal moved by National Investigation Agency seeking death penalty for him.

The matter was however adjourned due to non availability of the division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Anish Dayal.

While initially production warrants were issued against Malik, who has been awarded life sentence in the case, the bench last week modified the order and allowed him to appear via VC for today.

This was after the court had allowed an urgent application moved by Tihar jail authorities to produce Malik through video conferencing citing "heavy security issue” in producing him physically.

Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court in May last year. He had pleaded guilty in the case and did not contest to the charges against him.

While awarding him life sentence, Special Judge Praveen Singh had observed that the crime failed the test of rarest of rare case as held by the Apex Court.

The judge had also rejected Malik's submission that he had followed Gandhian principle of non violence and was spearheading a peaceful non violent struggle.

The court had framed charges against Malik and various others under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case, in March last year.

Others who were charged and claimed trial were Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Salahuddin, Rashid Engineer, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shahid-ul-Islam, Altaf Ahmad Shah @ Fantoosh, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.

However, the Court had discharged three men namely Kamran Yusuf, Javed Ahmad Bhatt and Syeda Aasiya Firdous Andrabi.

Title: STATE (NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY) v. MOHD YASIN MALIK