New Delhi, January 28: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted the National Investigation Agency four weeks’ additional time to file its rejoinder in the appeal seeking the death penalty for Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case. The matter has been listed for further hearing in April.
A division bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja allowed the request made by the NIA and scheduled the next hearing for April 22.
During the proceedings, Special Public Prosecutor Akshai Malik, appearing for the NIA, sought more time to respond to Yasin Malik’s detailed reply opposing the agency’s plea for enhancement of sentence.
The NIA has challenged the 2022 trial court verdict that sentenced Malik to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The trial court had ruled that the case did not fall under the “rarest of rare” category warranting the death penalty.
At the previous hearing in November 2025, the NIA had sought in-camera proceedings for the appeal and requested a private virtual hearing link. The High Court had said the request would be considered once a formal application was filed.
Yasin Malik, who appeared via video conference from Tihar Jail, had complained of psychological distress, citing a delay of nearly three years in the disposal of the appeal.
In an affidavit filed in September, Malik claimed he was not a terrorist and said he had been engaged by successive Indian governments, from the tenure of V.P. Singh to Manmohan Singh, in peace initiatives related to Kashmir. He alleged that senior officials, including Intelligence Bureau officers, had held discussions with him in the early 2000s to support ceasefire and peace efforts.
Malik also referred to his 2006 visit to Pakistan for earthquake relief, claiming he had acted at the behest of Indian agencies and later briefed top government functionaries. He alleged these interactions were later misrepresented to frame him under the UAPA.
In a statement before the court, Malik said he was prepared to face the death penalty if imposed, comparing his situation to that of executed separatist leader Maqbool Bhat.
The NIA has accused Malik and others, including Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin and Shabbir Shah, of conspiring with Pakistan-based terror groups to fund unrest and promote secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. A tribunal last year extended the ban on the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front for another five years.
