The Delhi High Court has given the National Investigation Agency (NIA) a final opportunity to submit its rejoinder in the appeal seeking the death penalty for Yasin Malik, the Kashmiri separatist leader and head of the banned JKLF. Yasin Malik is currently serving a life sentence in a terror-funding case. The court, comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja, has allowed the NIA four weeks to file its rejoinder, scheduling the next hearing for April 22.
During the hearing, the NIA’s Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) requested more time to finalize the rejoinder to Malik’s response, citing ongoing vetting of the document. Yasin Malik, appearing via video conference from Tihar Jail and representing himself, objected to the NIA’s repeated requests for adjournments. In response, the SPP clarified that Malik had taken over a year to submit his reply, which was lengthy and covered issues not directly linked to the case.
The Justice Chawla-led Bench, after considering the arguments, granted the NIA a final four weeks to file the rejoinder, setting the next hearing for April 22. Earlier, the NIA had sought additional time to respond to Malik’s lengthy reply, while Malik had urged for an expedited resolution, highlighting the prolonged pendency of the matter for nearly three years.
In its appeal, the NIA contests the trial court’s 2022 ruling that sentenced Malik to life imprisonment after he admitted to charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC. The NIA argues that merely pleading guilty should not result in a life term for a terrorist and is pushing for the death penalty. The trial court, which rejected the NIA’s plea for capital punishment, emphasized that Malik’s actions aimed at forcibly seceding Jammu and Kashmir from India’s Union.
