New Delhi: On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court was apprised that Yasin Malik, Hurriyat Conference leader serving a life sentence in a militancy funding case, had undergone examination at AIIMS and received necessary medical care.
The government of India and the Director General of Prisons (Tihar Jail) assured that Malik would receive further medical treatment as and when required.
Malik was suffering from serious cardiac and kidney problems. In response, the court recorded the statement made by the counsel and disposed of Malik’s petition. The petition had sought a directive for authorities to produce the record of his treatment and refer him to AIIMS or any private super-specialty hospital in Delhi or Jammu and Kashmir for proper and necessary treatment.
Rajat Nair, representing the GoI and DG (Prisons), informed the court that Malik had been taken to AIIMS, examined by doctors, and subsequently discharged. He said that necessary medical treatment had been accorded to the inmate.
The court also directed that a copy of the order be sent to the jail superintendent concerned for intimation and compliance. Earlier, on February 2, the high court had directed the Superintendent of Tihar Jail to ensure proper medical treatment for Malik.
The counsel for the authorities had previously informed the court that the petition suffered from serious suppression of facts. It was mentioned that Malik was refusing the treatment being given to him by the authorities. The petition was filed on behalf of Malik through his mother, Aatika Malik.
Nair argued that Malik was a “very high-risk security prisoner,” suggesting that the medical team could be brought into the jail itself. He contended that a medical board was constituted by AIIMS, but Malik refused a video-conferenced examination, insisting on physically going to the hospital.
Yasin Malik, the chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, had been awarded life imprisonment by a trial court on May 24, 2022. The court found him guilty of various offenses under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court, seeking the enhancement of the sentence from life term to death penalty, the maximum punishment for the offenses. The life term was awarded for two offenses under IPC and UAPA, and additional jail terms were given for various other charges.
