Yasin Malik Says He Won't Challenge Death Penalty in Sarla Bhat Murder Case, Announces Divorce

Jailed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik has said that he will not contest the proceedings in the 1990 murder case of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat and has stated that he is prepared to accept capital punishment if the court finds him guilty. Malik submitted a 25-page statement before the Additional Sessions Court in Srinagar, where the long-pending case concerning the killing of Sarla Bhat is being heard. The court has fixed September 19 for the next hearing.

In his statement, Malik reportedly said that he had taken the decision after careful consideration and would not challenge the proceedings further. He also expressed his willingness to face the death penalty. However, his statement does not amount to a conviction or mean that a death sentence has been awarded by the court. The final decision remains with the judiciary. Sarla Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit nurse associated with the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar, was abducted and killed in 1990 during the period of intense militancy in the Kashmir Valley. Her killing became one of the cases associated with the violence and displacement suffered by the Kashmiri Pandit community during that period.

Malik has denied having any role in Bhats killing and has maintained that he was falsely implicated in the case. Despite his denial, his name has emerged prominently in the investigation into the decades-old murder. The latest development comes after the Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency filed a chargesheet in the case, bringing renewed attention to the killing more than three decades after it took place.

Alongside his legal statement, Malik also announced that he intends to divorce his Pakistani wife, Mushaal Hussein Mullick. The two married in 2009 and have a daughter, Raziya Sultana. Malik reportedly said that he and Mushaal had been separated for several years and that their communication had been severely restricted during his imprisonment. He expressed his wish that she should be able to move forward with her life rather than remain tied to his prolonged legal and prison ordeal.

The announcement adds a personal dimension to Maliks latest court statement, which otherwise focuses largely on his legal position in the Sarla Bhat case. Malik is already serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail following his conviction in a terror-funding case in 2022. He had declined to contest the charges in that case. The National Investigation Agency has also sought enhancement of his sentence to the death penalty.

The Sarla Bhat case now represents another significant legal proceeding involving the separatist leader. With the next hearing scheduled for September 19, attention will remain on how the Srinagar court proceeds with the case and evaluates the evidence before it. The developments have also revived discussion around several unsolved cases from the early years of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those involving the killings and displacement of Kashmiri Pandits.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from NDTV.