IAF officers’ killing: Accused absent, identification by eyewitness deferred
Under law, presence of all accused was a pre-requisite where identification has to be conducted.
A special TADA court on Saturday deferred the case pertaining to killing of four Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, that included squadron leader Ravi Khanna, to May 13 after one of the two witnesses deposed that he can identify the accused.
“Since one of the accused had sought exemption today, the court deferred the identification process to May 13,” said additional advocate general Monika Kohli.
She said, “Two witnesses had come to the court today and their examination-in- chief was done. One of the witnesses said he can identify the accused but since all the accused were not present today, the court deferred the identification process to May 13.”
Under law, presence of all accused was a pre-requisite where identification has to be conducted, she informed.
“Cross examination of the second witness was also done today by one of the accused’s lawyers, who asked some questions,” she said.
Kohli informed that JKLF terrorist-turned-separatist Yasin Malik was present via virtual mode from Tihar jail but he didn’t ask anything.
Malik is the prime accused in the case. He is currently undergoing life sentence in Tihar prison in a terror-funding case.
The TADA court had in March 2020 framed charges against Yasin and six others allegedly involved in the killing of four unarmed IAF officials, including squadron leader Ravi Khanna in 1990 in Kashmir.
Two cases against Yasin Malik :
The first case pertains to an incident that occurred on January 25, 1990, at Rawalpora, Srinagar. The IAF officers were fired upon by terrorists in which 40 of them received critical injuries while four others were killed in the attack.
The second case, related to the kidnapping of Dr Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and sister of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, for getting five of the outfit’s terrorists released from custody in exchange of her release. She was kidnapped on December 8, 1989, and was released on December 13.