The National Investigation Agency on Friday filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking the death penalty for separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case, reported PTI.

On May 24, 2022, Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special National Investigation Agency court in a case filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Malik had pleaded guilty to all charges before the court.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh of the High Court will hear the central agency’s plea on May 29, reported PTI.

The National Investigation Agency alleged that Malik and other separatist leaders “entered into a larger conspiracy for causing disruption in the Valley by way of pelting stones on security forces, systematically burning of schools, damage to public property and waging war against India”.

He was booked under Sections 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being a member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He was also booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition).

The National Investigation Agency had at the time asked the court to award capital punishment to Malik. However, the court had said that the case did not fall in the “rarest of rare” category, which would warrant the death penalty.