Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Yasin Malik and six other accused have pleaded “not guilty” in the killing of four IAF personnel in Srinagar in 1990.
“I do not plead guilty. It is a fabricated case,” he said, when Special judge NIA Subash Gupta read out the charges to him through video conferencing and asked him whether he pleaded guilty, or he wanted to face trial, Indian Express reported.
According to the report the judge has fixed the date of hearing on March 30.
Earlier today a court in Jammu framed charges against Malik and six others involved in the alleged killing of four unarmed Indian Air Force (IAF) officials in 1990 in Srinagar.
“Five of the seven accused were produced before the TADA Court today. The court has framed charges against all the seven accused including Yasin Malik and Showkat Bakshi, lodged in Tihar and Ambedkar Nagar jails respectively. Malik and Baskshi appeared via video-conferencing,” said additional public prosecutor Rakesh Singh who is representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Copies of the charges have been sent to authorities at the Tihar and Ambedkar Nagar prisons Makshi and Bakshi are being held, he said.
Referring to the CBI chargesheet, including documentary and oral evidence, Special NIA Judge Subhash Gupta observed that “on mild sifting and evaluating the confessional statements of the accused” recorded under Section 164 of CrPC and Section 15 of TADA, “it can safely be considered as incriminating material against all the accused as they have divulged about the hatching of criminal conspiracy punishable under Section 120-B of Ranbir Penal Code and they further confessed that in furtherance of which, crime was committed by them in the present matter”.
The judge has also directed the jail superintendents to produce both the accused — Yasin Malik and Showkat Ahmed Bakshi — through video conference on March 16. Nanaji alias Saleem and Javed Ahmed Mir were granted exemption from personal appearance on Saturday.
Malik is under trial for the alleged killing of four IAF personnel in January 1990 and for kidnapping Rubaiyya Sayeed, the daughter of former state home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.