New Delhi — The Delhi High Court on Monday granted Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik four weeks to file his response to the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) plea seeking the death penalty in a 2017 terror funding case, in which Malik is currently serving a life sentence, reported the Hindu.
A division bench comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Shalinder Kaur directed Malik to submit his reply by the next hearing scheduled for November 10. The court also instructed Tihar Jail authorities to ensure Malik’s virtual production on that date after noting that he was neither presented online nor had he filed his response as per the court’s earlier order dated August 9, 2024.
Malik, incarcerated in Tihar Jail since 2019, had earlier declined the court’s suggestion to appoint a lawyer, insisting he would argue his case personally. The NIA’s plea challenges the trial court’s 2022 verdict, which sentenced Malik to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The NIA contends that pleading guilty should not shield individuals convicted of terrorism from the death penalty, warning that such leniency could undermine sentencing policy and allow “terrorists a way out.”
In May 2023, the Delhi High Court issued notice to Malik on the NIA’s appeal, while granting Tihar authorities permission for his virtual appearance in court to maintain public order. The trial court, while rejecting the agency’s demand for capital punishment, had remarked that Malik’s actions struck at the “heart of the idea of India” and aimed to forcefully secede Jammu and Kashmir from the Union.
The matter will now be taken up on November 10, with Malik expected to present his arguments against the NIA’s plea for enhancing his sentence from life imprisonment to death.
