TADA court to try Yasin Malik via videoconferencing
JAMMU : After Tihar Jail authorities refused to produce terroristturned-separatist leader Yasin Malik before a TADA court citing security concerns, the court on Tuesday allowed Malik to appear via video-conferencing for the next date of hearing on October 23. The TADA court on September 7 had issued non-bailable warrants against Malik and seven others allegedly involved in the killing of four Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel in Kashmir in 1990.
Special public prosecutor of the CBI, advocate Pavittar Singh Bhardwaj said, “The court ordered that Malik be produced via video-conferencing on October 23. Being a water tight case, the prosecution is confident of an easy job and hopes for an early decision by the court. There are no ifs and buts in the case.”
“Tihar jail authorities had refused to produce Malik before the TADA court citing security concerns. The Union home ministry has also sanctioned this following the court order,” he added. On Tuesday, four accused in the case were produced while three others—yasin Malik, Showkat Ahmed Bakshi and Javed Mir could not be produced, Bhardwaj said.
Yasin Malik is currently under trial for the killing of four IAF personnel and kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, the daughter of then home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in 1989-90 and was expected to be presented before the court on Tuesday.
“Ironically, Malik and other accused were protected by those in the corridors of power for long. He enjoyed protection, free air travel, free medical treatment in private hospitals and many other facilities on government money,” Bhardwaj said.
Prison authorities told the special TADA court in Jammu that earlier this year, the ministry of home affairs had instructed them not to produce Malik in any court.
In an interview to HT, squadron leader Ravi Khanna’s wife, Shalini Khanna, aka Nirmal Khanna,68, had demanded that justice be delivered to her and Malik be sent to gallows. Squadron leader Ravi Khanna was among four slain IAF personnel.
Malik was a Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front terrorist before he gave up arms in the mid-1990s.
The first case relates to an incident that occurred on January 25, 1990 at Rawalpora, Srinagar. Terrorists fired at IAF employees in which 40 of them, including a woman, were seriously injured and four IAF personnel were killed. On completion of investigation, a chargesheet was filed on August 31, 1990 against Malik and five others before the designated TADA court in Jammu.
The second case relates to the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, the daughter of the then Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Syed for getting five of JKLF terrorists released from custody in exchange of her release.