Yasin Malik death penalty appeal: Delhi HC grants NIA more time

The Delhi High Court has given the NIA four more weeks to file its rejoinder in the appeal seeking the death penalty for separatist Yasin Malik in a terror funding case. The matter has been renotified for a hearing on April 22.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) four weeks' further time to file its rejoinder in the agency's appeal seeking the death penalty for Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in the terror funding case, and renotified the matter for hearing in April.

A division bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja allowed the request made on behalf of the appellant agency, observing, "Counsel for the appellant is granted four weeks' further time. The court has listed the appeal for further hearing on April 22. During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Akshai Malik, appearing for the National Investigation Agency, sought additional time to respond to Malik's detailed reply opposing the plea for enhancement of sentence.

NIA Seeks Death Penalty for Malik

The NIA has challenged the 2022 trial court judgment, which sentenced Yasin Malik to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a terror funding case. The trial court, while convicting him, held that the case did not fall within the "rarest of rare" category warranting capital punishment.

On the last date of hearing in November 2025, the NIA had sought in-camera proceedings for hearing the appeal. The Court had indicated that the request would be considered after the agency formally moved the plea. The NIA had also sought a private virtual hearing link for the proceedings. Yasin Malik, who appeared through video conferencing from Tihar Jail, had then complained of psychological distress due to what he described as a prolonged delay of nearly three years in adjudication of the appeal.

Malik Opposes Plea, Cites Past Peace Efforts

In September, Malik filed an affidavit before the High Court asserting that he was not a terrorist and had, in fact, been engaged by successive Indian governments from the tenure of V.P. Singh to that of Manmohan Singh in peace initiatives concerning Kashmir. He claimed that in the early 2000s, then Intelligence Bureau official Ajit Doval had visited him in jail to convey the Vajpayee government's interest in a peace process, following which meetings were arranged with senior officials, including then NSA Brajesh Mishra. Malik stated that he was asked to support the Ramzan ceasefire and broader peace initiatives.

The JKLF chief further claimed that he met leaders across the political spectrum, including Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and several opposition leaders, and that he led a signature campaign in Jammu and Kashmir to promote non-violent democratic engagement, allegedly collecting over 1.5 million signatures.

Malik also referred to his 2006 visit to Pakistan for earthquake relief, claiming that the Intelligence Bureau had asked him to meet militant leaders, including Hafiz Saeed. He alleged that he later briefed then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and NSA N.K. Narayanan about the meetings, but that these interactions were later "twisted" to portray him as a conspirator.

He further alleged that following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the 2006 meeting was taken out of context to justify prosecution under the UAPA. In a strongly worded statement, Malik declared that he was prepared to face the death penalty if imposed, describing it as the "ultimate endgame" of his struggle, and drew a comparison with executed separatist leader Maqbool Bhat.

Allegations and JKLF Ban

The NIA has accused Malik and others, including Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin and Shabbir Shah, of conspiring with Pakistan-based terror groups to fund unrest and promote secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

Last year, a tribunal extended the ban on the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) for another five years, observing that organisations advocating secessionism cannot be tolerated. (ANI)

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