Delhi HC lists Yasin Malik death penalty appeal for further hearing on April 22

STC NEWS DESK
NEW DELHI, JANUARY 28 (STC): The Delhi High Court has granted four weeks’ further time to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file its rejoinder in the its appeal seeking the death penalty for Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in the terror funding case, reports a cross section of media quoting news agency ANI.
The matter has been renotified for hearing in April.
Reports giving details of the court order state that a division bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja allowed the request made on behalf of the appellant agency, observing, “Counsel for the appellant is granted four weeks’ further time. The court has listed the appeal for further hearing on April 22.
The report further states that during the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Akshai Malik, appearing for the National Investigation Agency, sought additional time to respond to Malik’s detailed reply opposing the plea for enhancement of sentence.
It’s worth mentioning that the NIA has challenged the 2022 trial court judgment, which sentenced Yasin Malik to life imprisonment under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a terror funding case. The trial court, while convicting him, held that the case did not fall within the “rarest of rare” category warranting capital punishment.
On the last date of hearing in November 2025, the NIA had sought in-camera proceedings for hearing the appeal. The Court had indicated that the request would be considered after the agency formally moved the plea. The NIA had also sought a private virtual hearing link for the proceedings.
Yasin Malik, who appeared through video conferencing from Tihar Jail, had then complained of psychological distress due to what he described as a prolonged delay of nearly three years in adjudication of the appeal.

(Straight Talk Communications)