Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, convicted in a terror funding case appeared before the Delhi High Court via video conferencing on Wednesday from Tihar Jail.
This appearance was in response to an appeal moved by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seeking death penalty for him.
However, the proceedings were adjourned due to the unavailability of the division bench comprising 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 decision came after the Tihar jail authorities urgently requested the court to permit Malik’s appearance through video conferencing, citing significant security concerns associated with his physical presence.
Malik had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court in May 2022. He had pleaded guilty in the case and did not challenged the charges against him.
In delivering the life sentence, Special Judge Praveen Singh noted that the crime did not meet the criteria of being the “rarest of rare” as established by the Apex Court. The judge also dismissed Malik’s assertion that he had adhered to the Gandhian principle of non-violence and was leading a peaceful non-violent struggle.
In March 2022, the court had framed charges against Malik and several others under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in connection with the case. Among those charged and facing 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, and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.
However, the Court had discharged three individuals from the case: Kamran Yusuf, Javed Ahmad Bhatt, and Syeda Aasiya Firdous Andrabi.
