YASIN MALIK CONVICTED IN TERROR FUNDING CASE
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday convicted separatist leader and chief of banned Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik after he pleaded guilty to charges related to terror funding, spreading terrorism and secessionist activities in the Kashmir Valley in 2017.
The court directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to assess Malik’s financial condition to determine the amount of fine that could be imposed and posted the matter for May 25 to announce the quantum of punishment.
Malik was booked for charges 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) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the IPC. After the charges were framed in March, Malik on May 10 pleaded guilty to all charges before the court and informed that he would not challenge them.
On Thursday, special judge Praveen Singh noted that sufficient time was provided to the accused to consider his plea and he was also granted an opportunity to seek legal advice to make an informed choice. Malik was present in the court when the judgment was pronounced.
The court asked Malik if he wanted to re-think his plea, to which the accused said he had taken a well-thought decision.
NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH:: Days after he resigned from the Congress bidding the party “good luck and goodbye”, veteran leader Sunil Jakhar on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying he felt the need to join party with “nationalistic” outlook.
BJP national president JP Nadda welcomed the 68-year-old former Punjab Congress chief in the party fold at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
“I broke the connection (with the Congress) not for a personal issue, but for the reason of nationalism… I think it is the right time to have a rethink when we move away from our ideology,” Jakhar, who resigned from the Congress ending his family’s 50-year connection with the party on Saturday, said after joining the BJP. Speaking on condition of anonymity, people close to Jakhar said he may be nominated to the Rajya Sabha and be given some responsibility in
NEW DELHI: With a world title on the line in Istanbul, Nikhat Zareen closed her eyes and prayed. Her opponent Jutamas Jitpong of Thailand had taken the final to the last round but Zareen had thrown enough punches to not leave it to fate this time. She had sealed it with a thumping third round against the Tokyo Olympics quarter-finalist. Or so she thought.
When her hand finally went up, Zareen roared, her face became a mélange of emotions before tears rolled. She clutched India coach Bhaskar Bhatt and sobbed on the side of the ring.
Punjab.
Jakhar said he stayed with the Congress in good times and bad, but he was made to pay a price when he said Punjab cannot be divided on the basis of religion and caste. “Punjab has a template for the country; there is no second-class citizen, all are treated equally…,” he said.
Jakhar headed the Punjab unit of Congress for little over four years before being replaced with Navjot Singh Sidhu in July 2021. He was at the loggerheads with the Congress ever since the party leadership issued him a show-cause notice before removing him from all posts on April 30 for “anti-party” activities in the run-up to this year’s assembly elections.