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Yasin Malik seeks physical hearing in Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case, murder of IAF officials
The 56-year-old is currently undergoing a life sentence in Delhi's Tihar jail in connection with a terror-funding case.
Jammu: Yasin Malik, the separatist leader and chief of banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), on Wednesday requested a special court here for physical appearance in two cases pertaining to kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in 1989, and killing of Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel.
Malik, 56, who is undergoing a life sentence in a terror-funding case in Delhi’s Tihar jail, has written to the government for a physical appearance before the special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court.
“Yasin Malik has written a letter to the government of India seeking personal hearing in cases involving him,” said advocate Monika Kohli, the special public prosecutor in the TADA court. “He is facing trial in two cases—Rubaiya Sayeed’s abduction and killing of four IAF officials before the TADA court here.”
He appeared before the court through video conference on Wednesday in the case pertaining to killing of four IAF officials, including squadron leader Ravi Khanna, in 1990, said Kohli.
“We cross-examined two witnesses in the case. The next date of hearing is on August 22. Malik has requested personal hearing on the next date of hearing,” she said.
Hearing in the Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
“Whether he will appear in person or virtually, we can’t say for now,” Kohli said.
The case pertains to the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed by Malik’s JKLF on December 8, 1989. She was freed five days later after the then VP Singh government at the Centre released five terrorists from the outfit in exchange.
Earlier on May 27, the TADA court summoned Rubaiya Sayeed, who lives in Chennai and is listed as a prosecution witness by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the probe into the case in 1990.
On January 11 last year, the court ordered charges to be framed against Malik and nine others in the kidnapping case. The nine others are Ali Mohamad Mir, Mohammad Zaman Mir, Iqbal Ahmad Gandroo, Javed Ahmad Mir, Mohammad Rafiq Pahloo alias Nana Ji alias Saleem, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi, Wajahat Bashir, Mehraj-ud-Din Sheikh and Showkat Ahmad Bakshi.
According to CBI, the accused kidnapped Rubaiya with an ulterior motive of getting five terrorists released in lieu of her release. Malik had allegedly played the key role in plotting and executing the kidnapping with the help of his associates.
“Charges are required to be framed against each of the accused persons, separately,” the court had said in January last year.
The same court in March 2020 framed charges against Malik and six others for their involvement in the killing of four unarmed IAF officials in Kashmir in January 1990. Squadron leader Khanna was among the four officials shot dead by car-borne terrorists of JKLF, allegedly including Malik, on outskirts of Srinagar.
On May 26 this year, a Delhi court sentenced Malik to life imprisonment a week after he pleaded guilty and was convicted of terror funding, spreading terrorism, and secessionist activities in the Valley in 2017.
