New Delhi, April 22: The Delhi High Court has postponed the hearing on the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) petition seeking the death penalty for Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik. The new hearing date is set for July 21.
In court, the NIA submitted its response to the reply filed by Yasin Malik. The agency noted that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta is currently engaged in the ongoing Sabarimala case in the Supreme Court, leading to the request for a postponement. The court has directed the NIA to provide a copy of its response to Yasin Malik.
This case is linked to a 2017 terror funding investigation, where Malik faces allegations of hawala transactions, funding from the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, and inciting unrest in Jammu and Kashmir. Malik was convicted by a special court at Patiala House on May 24, 2022, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Subsequently, the NIA challenged this decision in 2023, filing a petition in the Delhi High Court to seek the death penalty for Malik. The agency claims that Malik played a role in several murders and kidnappings during the 1990s, including the killing of four Air Force officers. The NIA cited Supreme Court guidelines, asserting that such cases fall under the ‘rarest of rare’ category, warranting the death penalty.
In response, Yasin Malik submitted an affidavit to the Delhi High Court, stating that six governments in power since 1990 have engaged with him regarding the Kashmir issue. These include the administrations of V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar, P.V. Narasimha Rao, H.D. Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh.
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