English
New Delhi: The special NIA court on Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in terror funding case. During the hearing, Special Judge Praveen Singh pronounced the verdict under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act which will be concurrent, and it will run till life.
“Two life sentences and five punishments of 10 years of rigorous imprisonment each have been awarded. All sentences are to run concurrently. A monetary penalty of over Rs 10 lakh has also been levied,” lawyer Umesh Sharma said after the court hearing.
Yasin Malik now has the option to appeal the sentencing in the High Court. He earlier had pleaded guilty to all the charges including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in a terror funding case.
During the hearing, Malik had in the court argued why would the Indian government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee give him a passport and allow him to travel and speak around the world if he was a criminal.
He also said he has followed the principles of Mahatma Gandhi ever since he gave up arms in 1994. “I have been doing non-violent politics in Kashmir ever since,” he said.
During the course of the hearing, Malik said: “I will not beg for anything. The case is before this court and I leave it on the court to decide it.”
“If I have been involved in any terrorist activity or violence in 28 years, if Indian Intelligence proves this, then I will also retire from politics. I will accept the hanging… with seven Prime Ministers, I have worked,” he told the court.
Earlier in the day, the National Investigation Agency had demanded the maximum punishment, the death penalty, while the defence pleaded for life imprisonment. The NIA told the court during the hearing that the accused is responsible for the Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus from the Valley. The Central probe agency also argued for the death sentence for Malik.
Then why Yasin Malik was not awarded the death penalty and just given life imprisonment? The court reportedly did not consider Yasin Malik’s case as ‘rarest of the rare’ and imposed a heavy fine along with life imprisonment. According to what the lawyers said, the court heard the ‘terror funding case of Yasin Malik and not the mass killing of the Kashmir Pandits’.
Giving details, Advocate Umesh Sharma said two life imprisonments have been given to Yasin Malik, besides that, 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in 10 offences and Rs 10 lakh penalty, all the punishments will run concurrently, he said.
Advocate Akhand Pratap Singh further said Yasin Malik has been awarded life imprisonment under section 17 UAPA, and a fine of Rs 10 lakhs, sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment under 120B & a fine of Rs 10,000 and other sections of IPC and UAPA.
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