Court jails separatist chief for life
A Delhi court on Tuesday sentenced Kashmiri separatist and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment for conspiring against the State under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh also sentenced her associates, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, to 30 years’ imprisonment in the same case.
The court awarded Andrabi life imprisonment under Section 18 of the UAPA for conspiracy, along with Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 121A of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code. Fehmeeda and Nasreen were sentenced to 30 years of simple imprisonment under Section 18 of the UAPA and Section 120B of the IPC.
In its 286-page order, the court held that Andrabi and her associates conspired to secure the secession of Kashmir from India. It relied on videos submitted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which showed the accused repeatedly claiming that Kashmir belongs to Pakistan and is under forced occupation by India.
