Separatist leader Yasin Malik convicted by NIA Court in terror funding case

Yasin Malik has been convicted in terror funding case by NIA Court. The court will hear arguments on the quantum of the sentence on May 25

Kashmiri separatist leader, Yasin Malik, has been convicted by National Investigating Agency (NIA) court in Delhi after he previously plead guilty in a terror funding case. NIA authorities will have to assess his financial situation and arguments on the quantum of the sentence will be heard on May 25. 

Earlier, Malik pleaded guilty before a special NIA court on all charges including UAPA in connection with a terror case, for hatching a criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country, and other unlawful activities disturbing the peace in the Valley.

As per reports, he told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him including sections 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code.

Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, former MLA Rashid Engineer, businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Bitta Karate, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Avatar Ahmad Shah, Naeem Khan, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, alias Peer Saifullah and several others have also been framed under charges for criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country and other unlawful activities.

In the order dated March 16, the NIA special Judge Praveen Singh had said: "The analysis reflects that the statements of witnesses and documentary evidence have connected almost all the accused with each other and to a common object of secession, to the commonality of means they were to use, their close association to terrorist/terrorist organisations under the guiding hand and funding of Pakistani establishment."