New Delhi, Oct 24: A special court in New Delhi has ordered the trial to proceed in a money-laundering case involving incarcerated Kashmiri separatist leader Muhammad Yasin Malik and six others, with the recording of prosecution evidence scheduled to begin on November 19, according to media reports.
Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), appeared before the court through video conferencing from Tihar Jail, where he is lodged. He denied the charges and indicated that he would contest the case, the reports said.
The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that ₹8.94 crore in proceeds of crime were generated and routed through hawala channels to support separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The allegations are to be examined during the judicial proceedings and have not been established merely by the court’s decision to proceed with the trial.
The proceedings took place in a closed courtroom, with the court directing that prosecution evidence be recorded from November 19.
The development comes amid separate proceedings before the Delhi High Court in the National Investigation Agency’s appeal seeking enhancement of Malik’s life sentence to the death penalty in a funding case.
On October 14, the Delhi High Court sought a report from the Tihar Jail superintendent after Malik was not produced through video conferencing for a hearing in the appeal. The court directed that he be produced virtually at the next hearing, scheduled for December 9, according to media reports.
The money-laundering trial and the NIA’s appeal against Malik’s sentence are separate proceedings before different courts. [KNT]