After Yasin Malik Appears in SC, Delhi Prisons Department Says ‘Prima Facie Lapse’, Orders Probe

Responding to the appearance of imprisoned JKLF chief Yasin Malik in the High Court, Delhi’s prison department on Friday said there had been a “visible misstep” on the part of some officials and ordered an investigation.

Deputy Inspector General (Prisons – Headquarters) Rajeev Singh will investigate to find out the demise, determine the responsibility of those responsible at fault and submit a report to the Director General (Prisons – Headquarters) within three days, according to an official statement.

The presence of Malik, who is serving a life sentence in Tihar jail, in a crowded courtroom caused confusion in the Supreme Court on Friday.

Malik, who is imprisoned after being convicted and sentenced to life in a terror financing case, was brought to the maximum security building of the Supreme Court in a prison van escorted by armed security personnel without court permission.

He entered the courtroom to the surprise of everyone present.

Prosecutor Tushar Mehta, expressing surprise at his presence, told the benches of judges Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta that there was a procedure to allow high-risk convicts to enter the courtroom to discuss their case in person.

When Mehta referred to Malik’s presence in the courtroom, the bench said it had not granted him permission or issued any order allowing him to argue his case in person.

Mehta also wrote to Union Home Minister Ajay Kumar Bhalla about the “serious security breach”.

Mehta wrote, “It is my firm view that this is a serious security lapse. Someone with a terrorist and separatist background like Yasin Malik who is not only a convicted terrorist financing case but has links with terrorist organizations in Pakistan could have escaped, and may have been taken away or killed.”

Mehta confirmed that there is an order issued by the Ministry of Interior regarding Malik under Article 268 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which prevents the prison authorities from removing the aforementioned convict from prison for security reasons.

Malik appeared in the High Court when a panel headed by Judge Surya was hearing an appeal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the 20 September 2022 order issued by a Jammu Court of First Instance in the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Saeed, daughter of Federal Home Minister Mufti Muhammad Saeed.

Delhi Prisons Department said in a statement, “On Friday, Yasin Malik was physically presented in the High Court by officials of Central Jail No. 7. At first glance, the lapse was noticed on the part of the concerned jail officials.

She added, “The Director General (Prisons) has ordered a detailed investigation into the matter by Deputy Inspector General (Headquarters) (Prisons) Rajeev Singh to find out the demise and determine the responsibility of those at fault, and the report will be submitted within three days to the Directorate’s prison.”

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)