NIA seeks death penalty for Yasin Malik, verdict reserved

In this case, the NIA has sought the death penalty under Section 121 (waging war against the government). The minimum sentence is life in prison.

The National Investigation Agency has requested the death penalty for convicted Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, who had previously pleaded guilty to all charges, including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), in a terror funding case. A Delhi court will rule on the quantum of punishment in the case today.

Arguments have been concluded, and the court will pronounce its order at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, on the case. The defence has requested life imprisonment rather than the death penalty.

"I was arrested within 30 minutes of Burhan Wani's encounter. Atal Bihari Vajpayee issued me a passport, and India allowed me to make a statement because I was not a criminal," Yasin Malik stated in court.

The judge stated that there was no other case against Yasin Malik before this one.

In this case, the NIA has sought the death penalty under Section 121 (waging war against the government). The minimum sentence is life in prison.

Malik also stated that he has adhered to Mahatma Gandhi's principles since giving up his arms in 1994. "I've been doing nonviolent politics in Kashmir since then," he explained.

He claimed to have worked with seven Prime Ministers and challenged Indian intelligence agencies to reveal whether he had been involved in any terrorist or violent activities in the previous 28 years. "I will leave politics and accept the death penalty," he said.

Parts of Srinagar have shut down today ahead of the verdict. Shops and other commercial establishments were closed in some areas of the city. However, public transportation and private vehicles were fully operational.

Security officials have been deployed in Srinagar's sensitive areas to prevent a breakdown in law and order, following officials.

The court previously stated that Malik had established an elaborate structure and mechanism worldwide to raise funds for terrorist and other illegal activities in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of the "freedom struggle."

On May 19, special judge Praveen Singh convicted Yasin Malik and directed NIA authorities to assess his financial situation to determine the fine amount likely to be imposed.

On May 10, Malik informed the court that he would not contest the charges levelled against him under sections 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA, as well as sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the IPC.

Meanwhile, the court formally charged Kashmiri separatist leaders including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

The charge sheet also names Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as proclaimed offenders in the case.