Gupkar alliance on life sentence to Yasin Malik: ‘verdict delivered, but not…’
The National Investigation Agency had sought the death penalty for the separatist leader who was convicted on May 19.
People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Wednesday termed the life sentence to Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik in a terror funding case "unfortunate", saying the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has 'delivered verdict, but not justice'. The Gupkar alliance, which is campaigning for the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir by restoring the special status, said in a statement that it fears the court's decision will further alienate the people of Kashmir.
"Life imprisonment given to Yaseen Malik is unfortunate and a setback to the efforts for peace. We are afraid that this will further compound the uncertainties in the region and will only fuel more alienation and separatist feelings," the statement read.
"The triumphalism being displayed by the BJP and the corporate media is bound to prove counterproductive," it added.
The Gupkar alliance suggested Malik should exhaust all legal opportunities to contest this verdict.
On Wednesday, a Delhi court sentenced Malik to life imprisonment for waging war against the State, saying that his crimes struck at the heart of the idea of India but holding that they didn’t fall under the “rarest of rare” category.
Yasin Malik can contest sentence, not conviction: Legal experts
The Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief was sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 121 of the IPC and Section 17 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The court also imposed a fine of ₹10.65 lakh on the convict under various sections.
NIA had sought the death penalty for the separatist leader who was convicted on May 19, but the court held that they didn’t fall under the “rarest of rare” category.
“The manner of the commission of crime, the kind of weapons used in the crime lead me to a conclusion that the crime in question would fail the test of rarest of rare cases as laid down by the Supreme Court,” NIA judge Praveen Singh said.
Malik was linked to several killings in the Valley but later became a part of government outreach programmes.
(With ANI inputs)
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