Delhi HC puts death-penalty plea for Yasin Malik on hold
Delhi HC puts death-penalty plea for Yasin Malik on hold
Delhi High Court grants four weeks for NIA to respond in its bid to seek death penalty for JKLF chief Yasin Malik, who is already serving life.
There is no urgency in hearing the National Investigation Agency’s petition seeking the death penalty for JKLF chief Yasin Malik in a terror funding case, the Delhi High Court said on Wednesday, granting four more weeks to the agency to file a rejoinder.
The court noted that Malik has filed a lengthy 70-page reply in September to the agency’s 2023 petition and that the rejoinder is being vetted. A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja gave the NIA four weeks as a last opportunity, after the agency’s counsel requested more time to respond.
Malik, appearing virtually, opposed the request, arguing that he has been in limbo over the death penalty for the past three years, which he said amounts to trauma. The NIA’s counsel contended that Malik took a year to file his response and that the agency was seeking only two to three weeks to submit its reply.
Considering the contention, the court granted four weeks to the NIA to file its rejoinder, and fixed April 22 as the next date of hearing.
Background: On May 24, 2022, a trial court awarded Malik life imprisonment after convicting him of various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for terror funding, spreading terrorism and secessionist activities in Kashmir in 2017. The life term was awarded for two offences.
