Delhi High Court Seeks Yasin Malik's Response on Death Penalty Plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked separatist leader Yasin Malik to respond to the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) plea seeking the death penalty in a recent terror funding case.

The bench, composed of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur, allocated four weeks for Malik to file his response, scheduling the hearing for November 10. Although previously insisting on representing himself, Malik did not appear virtually from Tihar Jail, where he is serving a life sentence for offenses under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC.

The court stressed the need for his virtual presence during the proceedings due to heightened security concerns. The NIA's plea argues that a mere life term is insufficient for such grave crimes and seeks to set a precedent in sentencing policy, emphasizing the danger of allowing terrorists to evade capital punishment by simply pleading guilty.

(With inputs from agencies.)