New Delhi, Aug 11, 2025 : The Delhi High Court on Monday gave separatist leader and JKLF chief Yasin Malik four weeks to respond to the National Investigation Agency’s plea seeking the death penalty in a terror funding case.
A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur fixed the next hearing for November 10, directing Tihar jail authorities to ensure Malik’s virtual presence. The court noted that he was neither produced online nor had he filed a reply despite its August 9, 2024 order.
Malik, serving a life term under the UAPA and IPC, had earlier refused legal representation, insisting on arguing his case himself. He was convicted by a trial court in May 2022 after pleading guilty to charges, but the NIA has sought sentence enhancement, arguing that pleading guilty should not shield a terrorist from capital punishment.
The agency contends that sparing such convicts undermines sentencing policy and could allow terrorists to avoid the death penalty. The trial court had rejected the NIA’s plea, noting Malik’s crimes struck at the “heart of the idea of India” but stopped short of awarding capital punishment.
