On May 26, the National Investigation Agency moved the Delhi High Court seeking the death penalty for Yasin Malik, the separatist leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, in a terror funding case. Three days later, the court ordered that Malik be produced before it on August 9 for defending himself.
Malik was charged with terror funding in 2017. He was arrested in April 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment on May 24, 2022. Malik had refused to contest the charges.
Now, the news of the NIA seeking the death penalty for Malik has evoked sharp reactions in Kashmir. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone of the J&K People’s Conference and Altaf Bukhari of the J&K Apni Party called it “deeply disturbing’’.
“In India where even the assassins of a prime minister were pardoned, the case of a political prisoner like Yasin Malik must be reviewed and reconsidered,” said Mufti. “The new political ikhwan (renegades) gleefully supporting his hanging is a grave threat to our collective rights.” She was reacting to an initial statement by Bukhari that those who threaten national security should be deterred. However, after an outcry, Bukhari took a U-turn and appealed to the Union government to reinvestigate the case against Malik. “The NIA is being hasty by approaching the Delhi High Court for the death penalty,” he said.
This story is from the June 11, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 11, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
