Court awards life imprisonment to Yasin Malik in terror funding case

New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) A Delhi court on Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case.

Special Judge Praveen Singh also awarded varying jail terms for various offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court also imposed a fine of over Rs ten lakh on Malik.

The life term was awarded for two offences -- Section 121 (waging war against the government of India) of IPC and section 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act) of the UAPA.

All the sentences will run concurrently.

The development came after Special NIA Judge Praveen Singh had framed charges against Malik and others under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case, in March this year.

However, Malik had pleaded guilty to the said charges. Others who were charged and claimed trial are Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, HizbulMujahideen Chief Salahuddin, Rashid Engineer, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shahid-ul-Islam, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Fantoosh, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Bitta Karate and others

However, the Court had discharged three namely Kamran Yusuf, Javed Ahmad Bhatt, and Syedah Aasiya Firdous Andrabi. 

It was alleged that funds were collected domestically and abroad through various illegal channels including hawala for funding separatist and terrorist activities in J&K and as such the accused had entered into a larger conspiracy for causing disruption in the valley by way of pelting stones on security forces, systematically burning of schools, damage to public property and waging war against India.

While framing charges, considering the material on record, the Court was of the view that the statements of witnesses and documentary evidence had connected the accused persons with each other and to a common object of secession, their close association to terrorist or terrorist organizations "under the guiding hand and funding of Pakistani establishment."

The Court had added that there was an "orchestra conspiracy" committed by the accused persons in the matter as in such conspiracy, each player has its own instrument to play but sharing the same stage, every player or member of the orchestra knows the other player and the role the other person has to play.