Yasin Malik refuses court's legal assistance offer

Jammu, August 22

J&K Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik on Monday refused legal aid that was offered to him by a special court in Jammu and insisted on his physical appearance to question the eyewitnesses in the cases related to the killing of four Air Force personnel in 1990 and also Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping in 1989 in which he is an accused. Lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi, Malik appeared before the court through video-conferencing and urged the judge to let him be present physically in the court.

Chief prosecutor in both the cases, Monika Kohli, while talking to mediapersons, said Yasin Malik was present virtually and other accused were present physically. “Malik said he wanted to cross-examine the witnesses physically. However, the court offered him legal aid that he denied,” said Kohli.

According to Monika Kohli, examination of eye-witnesses can be done virtually. “The court has told Yasin Malik to give in writing that he doesn’t need any legal aid,” she said. Malik is already serving life sentence in a terror-funding case. The next date of hearing is September 29.

Malik observed a 10-day hunger strike from July 22 after the Centre did not respond to his plea for allowing his physical presence.