Delhi HC Seeks Yasin Malik’s Response to NIA’s Death Penalty Plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday, August 11, 2025, directed separatist leader Yasin Malik, chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), to respond within four weeks to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) plea seeking the death penalty for him in a terror funding case. The bench, comprising Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur, scheduled the next hearing for November 10, 2025, after Malik, currently serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail, failed to appear virtually or submit a response as previously ordered.

Malik, convicted on May 24, 2022, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) for terror funding activities, had pleaded guilty, leading to a life imprisonment sentence by a trial court. The NIA, challenging the sentence, argues that a guilty plea should not exempt terrorists from capital punishment, warning that such leniency risks undermining India’s sentencing policy. The agency contends Malik’s actions, aimed at forcibly seceding Jammu and Kashmir from India, “struck at the heart of the idea of India,” as noted by the trial court, which nonetheless rejected the death penalty.

On August 9, 2024, the court had ordered Malik’s virtual appearance due to security concerns, citing his status as a “very high-risk prisoner.” Despite this, Malik was not produced virtually on Monday, prompting the court to reiterate its directive for his virtual presence at the next hearing. Malik, who declined legal representation last year to argue his case in person, faces heightened scrutiny as the NIA pushes for stricter punishment.

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The case has stirred debate on X, with #YasinMalik trending. Posts like @TimesNow’s “NIA demands death for Malik’s terror acts” reflect support for harsher penalties, while others, like @KashmirVoice, question the fairness of the judicial process. The outcome could set a precedent for handling terror-related guilty pleas in India.

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