Yasin Malik convicted in terror funding case
HT Correspondent
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 Indian Penal Code (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. The court noted that the amicus curiae met Malik in jail twice and explained to him the consequences of his decision.
“The amicus curiae was directed to visit the accused in jail and to have legal consultation with him, so that the accused could be made aware of the maximum punishment which could be awarded to him if he entered into the plea of guilt... Thereafter also, accused Yasin Malik pleaded guilty,” the court said in a nine-page order. Malik faces maximum punishment of a life sentence for the offences committed by him.
The court had appointed advocate Akhand Pratap Singh as an amicus, since Malik had argued his case himself.
The case pertains to the conspiracy by Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-taiba (LET) chief Hafiz Saeed and separatist leaders, including members of Hurriyat Conference, who had acted in connivance with active members of proscribed terrorist outfits Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-millat and others to raise, receive and collect funds through various illegal channels.
“In 2016, he along with other Hurriyat leaders formed a selfstyled group called ‘Joint Resistance Leadership’, whereby they started issuing directions to the masses to hold protests, demonstrations, hartaals, shutdowns, road-blocks and such other disruptive activities...” the NIA said.
In 2017, NIA registered a suo motu case and filed a charge sheet on January 18, 2018 against over a dozen people.
Earlier, the court also formally framed charges against Kashmiri separatist leaders including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, among others.