AGENCIES
A special NIA court in Delhi, today awarded life imprisonment to Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in terror funding case. Special Judge Praveen Singh also awarded varying jail terms for various offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court also imposed a fine of over Rs 10 lakh on Malik.
The life term was awarded for two offences — Section 121 (waging war against the government of India) of IPC and section 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act) of the UAPA. All the sentences will run concurrently.
The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday sought the death penalty before a Delhi court for the Kashmiri separatist leader, who had earlier pleaded guilty to all the charges, including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), in a terror funding case.
“It’s justice for victims of terror attacks carried out by him (Yasin Malik). Some might be satiated but I am not satisfied as I want the death penalty for him in my case,” said Nirmal Khanna, wife of IAF officer Ravi Khanna, a victim of an alleged terror attack carried out by Yasin Malik.
In the arguments before the sentencing, Malik told the court that he will accept hanging if the intelligence agencies prove any terror-related activities involving him.
The NIA meanwhile told the court that Malik is responsible for the Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus from the Valley as it argued for the death sentence for him.
Malik, the chief of banned JKLF, was on May 19 convicted by a Delhi court under the stringent anti-terror law in a case related to funding of terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, after he pleaded guilty to all charges framed against him.
Malik had on May 10 told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him that included 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) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the IPC.