Kashmiri separatist sentenced to life in jail in terror funding case

Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik on Wednesday sentenced to life in prison by a special NIA Delhi court. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment under Sections 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India), Section 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by section 121), Section 121-B of the Indian Penal Code, and Sections 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 10,000 on the convict.

The National Investigation Agency had demanded the maximum punishment, the death penalty, while the defence pleaded for life imprisonment. "Two life sentences and five punishments of 10 years of rigorous imprisonment each have been awarded. All sentences are to run concurrently." lawyer Umesh Sharma said. Different prison sentences and fines have been awarded for different cases. Yasin Malik now has the option to appeal the verdict in the High Court. Malik had earlier pleaded guilty to all the charges including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in a terror funding case. A special NIA court in Delhi pronounced its verdict on the quantum of punishment in the case.

The case pertains to the terror conspiracy by Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed and the separatist leaders including the members of the Hurriyat Conference who allegedly acted in connivance with the members of banned Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat and others to raise, receive and collect funds domestically and from abroad using illegal channels. The funds were collected to carry out separatist and terror activities in the Kashmir valley through stone pelting and attacks on security forces, damaging public property, etc.

According to NIA, Malik along with other Hurriyat leaders formed a group called ‘Joint Resistance Leadership’ under which they started issuing directions to the people to hold protests, strikes, shutdown, roadblocks and other activities that could disrupt peace in the valley. The NIA had filed a chargesheet against over a dozen people in January 2018 in connection with the terror funding case.