Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik given life imprisonment in terror funding case

New Delhi: JKLF chief Yasin Malik, one of the first terrorists of Jammu and Kashmir, was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment and slapped with a fine of Rs 10 lakh by an NIA court here.

Malik, who is known to have killed four IAF personnel in a terror attack in January 1990, was convicted on May 19 after he pleaded guilty to all the charges in connection to a 2017 case related to terrorism and secessionist activities.

Delhi's Patiala House Court turned into a security camp of sort as even the para military forces were called in.

Bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs carried out a thorough check of the court premises, before Malik was brought before NIA Special Judge Parveen Singh around 5.30 pm.

During the proceedings on Wednesday, the NIA sought death penalty for Malik.

The verdict was slated for 3.30 pm initially but was delayed by several hours amid stone pelting incidents reported from Srinagar's Maisuma area, where Malik's home is.

Internet was suspended in Srinagar, while many Kashmiri Pandit families in Jammu awaited the sentencing.

Nirmal Khanna, wife of IAF Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna who was killed by Yasin Malik and gang, said she wants capital punishment for the JKLF terrorist as he has been been alive for 32 years after killing her husband.

In my case, I would demand "blood for blood" judgement but in terror finding case, it is upto the court to decide the punishment for JKLF leader Yaseen Malik and I will give my overall viewpoint after the verdict, Shalini Khanna alias Nirmal Khanna, wife of Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, who was killed by JKLF Chief Yasin Malik in 1990 told reporters in Jammu.

According to a lawyer present during the hearing, Malik's counsel claimed that the JKLF chief had shunned violence 28 years back and had not indulged in any kind of violent means during this period.

In this matter, after investigation a charge sheet was filed by Investigating Agency against Malik, Kashmiri separatist leaders such as Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

Other accused Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin have been declared proclaimed offenders (PO) in this case.

In the month of March this year, Court had ordered to framing of charges under the provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against Malik and others in the case.

A case under sections 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of Indian Penal Code was registered against Malik and others in this case.

After hearing the charges were framed against Malik when he submitted before the court that he will not contest the charges levelled against him.

NIA Special Judge Parveen Singh after hearing the matter sought an affidavit regarding the financial status of Yasin and directed National Investigating Agency (NIA) to submit the report before the court on May 25 and fixed the matter for hearing the submission on the quantum of sentence. (UNI)