Special NIA Court awards life sentence to Yasin Malik terror funding case

A Special NIA Court in Delhi on Wednesday sentenced Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik to Life Imprisonment after he was convicted in connection with Jammu & Kashmir terror funding case.

Malik had pleaded guilty in the case and did not contest to the charges against him.

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. (With inputs from LiveLaw)