Yasin Malik, who was found guilty of supporting terrorism and is currently serving a life term in Tihar Prison, was brought before the Supreme Court for a hearing on a CBI appeal of a Jammu court ruling.
Monday, July 21: In a letter to Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Friday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta raised the matter of security for JKLF leader Yasin Malik and conveyed his concern over Malik’s attendance in the Supreme Court today.
Yasin Malik, who was found guilty of supporting terrorism and is currently serving a life term in Tihar Prison, was brought before the Supreme Court for a hearing on a CBI appeal of a Jammu court ruling. Mehta added, “It is my unequivocal opinion that this is a severe security lapse. Yasin Malik’s presence in the Supreme Court raises concerns that he could have escaped, been carried away forcibly, or may have been killed. A person with a history of terrorism and secessionism, like Mr. Yasin Malik, who is not only convicted in a case involving the sponsorship of terrorism but also has connections to known terrorist groups in Pakistan, may have escaped, been taken prisoner forcibly, or been assassinated.
Mehta continued in his letter to Bhalla by stating that, in the event of any untoward incident, even the security of the Supreme Court would have been seriously jeopardized.
In any case, the SG stated, “Jail authorities had no power to bring him out of jail premises and did they have any reason to do so so long as the order under section 268 of the CrP Code subsists.”
The Solicitor General further stated that he believed this to be a severe enough issue to once again bring it to your personal attention so that you might take the necessary actions.
The letter made reference to a directive issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the aforementioned Yasin Malik pursuant to section 268 of the Criminal Code of Procedure, which forbids the jail staff from removing the aforementioned inmate from the jail grounds for security reasons.
“Everyone was shocked when news was received that the jail authorities are personally bringing Yasin Malik to appear before the Supreme Court as per his desire to appear as party in person,” the man claimed.
The letter further stated that SG had informed the Home Secretary of this knowledge by telephone, but Yasin Malik had already arrived at the Supreme Court of India’s grounds at that point.
The Supreme Court of India’s authorities were not consulted regarding this matter, nor had the Court requested his physical appearance.
“When I asked the officer overseeing Mr. Yasin Malik’s security at the Supreme Court, the only thing he could show me was a printed notification in a general format of the Supreme Court that is sent with regard to every party to any dispute in the Court, according to the inquiry. The recipients of the stated printed notice are advised to attend before the Court either in person or through an authorized advocate, according to SG.
Additionally, he stated that a written notification from the Supreme Court in a broad format does not constitute approval for a convict to be released from custody in accordance with a section 268 of the Criminal Procedure Code, nor does it mandate the recipient of the order be present in person.
