New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Wednesday told the court during arguments on sentencing of Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case that he is responsible for the Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus from the Valley.
During the course of the hearing before Special Judge Praveen Singh, the central probe agency also argued for death sentence to Malik.
On the other hand, the amicus curiae sought life imprisonment as a minimum punishment in the case.
Malik, who is awaiting the quantum of punishment for the offences in the case, was produced before the special NIA judge of Patiala House Court amid tight security.
The court also had directed the NIA authorities to assess his financial situation in connection with the terror funding case prior to Wednesday’s hearing.
Malik faces maximum punishment of the death penalty, while the minimum sentence can be life imprisonment in the cases in which he is involved.
He had been charged with hatching a criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country, other unlawful activities, and disturbing peace in Kashmir.
He had pleaded guilty in the matter. On the last date of the hearing, he told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him, including section 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being member of a terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code.
The present case is related to the various terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul-Mujahideen (HM), Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) backed by Islamic State perpetrating the terrorist and secessionist activities to disturb Jammu and Kashmir.
