Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Yasin Malik, who is lodged in Tihar Prisons, is likely to appear before a Special TADA Court in-person for the cross-examination of persecution witnesses in two cases – the killing of four Indian Air Force (IAF) officers and the abduction of Rubaiyya Sayeed.
The IAF officials’ case will be listed before the Jammu special court on October 19, and the Rubaiyya Sayeed case on October 20.
Additional advocate general Monika Kohli, who is the public prosecutor in the two high-profile cases, said, “After Malik sought physical appearance before the Special TADA Court, it issued production warrants to Tihar Prison authorities directing them to produce him in court in connection to the two cases in Jammu.”
“Whether he is produced before court is yet to be seen. So far, we do not have any intimation from the prison authorities in Tihar. The court will start hearing cases from 10 am or 10.30 am,” added Kohli.
On September 21, a special TADA Court had issued production warrants to ensure physical presence of Malik before the court on October 19 and 20 to cross-examine prosecution witnesses and Rubaiyya Sayeed.
56-year-old Sayeed, who had been kidnapped in December 1989 to secure the release of five militants, had identified Malik and three others in the abduction case. However, on August 23, a special TADA Court had issued bailable warrants against Sayeed after she had failed to appear before court in-person.
On January 11, 2021, the TADA court had ordered that charges be framed against Malik and nine others, including 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.
The TADA Court, in March 2020, had also framed charges against Malik and six others allegedly involved in the killing of four unarmed IAF officials, including squadron leader Ravi Khanna, in Kashmir in 1990.