New Delhi, January 29 (KAT): The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) an additional four weeks to file its rejoinder in the agency’s appeal seeking the death penalty for Yasin Malik, the jailed chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in a terror funding case. The matter has now been listed for hearing on April 22, 2026 before a division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja.
During the hearing, NIA counsel sought more time to respond to Malik’s detailed reply opposing the plea for enhancement of sentence. The court observed that since Malik is already serving a life term, there was “no urgency” in the matter and granted four weeks’ time to the agency as a final opportunity to file its rejoinder.
Malik, appearing via video link from Tihar Jail where he is lodged, accused the NIA of seeking repeated adjournments and causing him psychological distress by delaying adjudication of the appeal, which has been pending since it was filed in 2023.
The NIA’s appeal challenges the 2022 trial court judgment that sentenced Malik to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code in connection with terror funding and secessionist activities. The agency argues that the trial court’s decision not to impose the death penalty was legally flawed and claims that capital punishment is warranted in this case.
In its plea for enhanced punishment, the NIA contends that failing to award the death sentence in cases involving “dreaded terrorists” could undermine the sentencing policy and provide a loophole for serious offenders to avoid the harshest penalty.
Malik, a veteran separatist leader, has long maintained that he was engaged in peace efforts over the decades and has resisted the NIA’s arguments, submitting an extensive affidavit in his defence. The High Court’s April hearing will be a pivotal moment in the agency’s bid to seek the death penalty against him.(KAT)
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