NIA’s plea for producing Yasin Malik before Delhi HC virtually to be heard today
The agency said Malik has been lodged under a category of very high-risk prisoners and it is imperative that he is not physically produced in court
The Delhi high court will on Thursday hear National Investigation Agency (NIA)’s urgent application for producing Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik before it through video conferencing from Tihar Jail citing “heavy security issue”.
The plea was moved on Wednesday for modification of an order for Malik’s physical appearance on August 9 in connection with the agency’s appeal for the death penalty for him. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment in a terror funding case last year.
A bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Anish Dayal will hear NIA’s application. On May 29, the court issued a notice on NIA’s appeal and ordered that Malik be produced before it.
The agency said Malik has been lodged under a category of very high-risk prisoners and it is imperative that he is not physically produced in court to maintain public order and safety. “The present application has been filed bona fide and may be allowed in the interests of justice. Grave prejudice will be caused to the appellant State and society as a whole if the present application is not allowed and no prejudice would be caused to anyone if it is,” NIA said.
On July 21, Malik appeared before the Supreme Court in a separate case and prompted solicitor-general Tushar Mehta to write to the Union home ministry saying his presence there was “a matter of grave security lapse” since he could have escaped or been killed.
